Sakura Dreams
by brntofferings
Summary: Four years have passed, Narku is dead, Kagome has finally tapped into her powers and her realationship with Inuyasha has finally turned romantic, but things are far from resolved and appearances can be deceiving.
1. Prolouge

All right I hope that this one is better than my many other tries at this particular chapter.

Italics is a third person point of view while the rest is in Kagome's.  
  
Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own Inuyasha! Not yet anyways!

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Prologue  
  
The stars shone like tiny diamonds in the velvety night sky, they glittered cheerfully beside the brilliance of the full moon in their midst. All that silver light poured down onto the ground and lit everything up so that you could see very clearly, even in the middle of the night.  
  
FEUDAL JAPAN  
My heart was beating wildly in my chest and my breath caught in the back of my throat occasionally as a blinding fear washed over me, but I pushed it back every single time. It wasn't MY fear that made me shake with terror; it was Naraku's aura. He now has all of the jewel shards in his possession... well almost all of them. He's still missing two shards, Kouga's shards. Although why he hasn't taken them from him I don't know. I'm not complaining mind you, he's more than powerful enough as it is.  
  
I took a quick peek around the pile of rubble that I was hiding behind and noticed that Miroku and Kirara were doing a pretty good job of keeping the flood of demons from overwhelming Sango and Inuyasha.  
  
Poor Sango, she has to fight her own brother, the last living member of her family... the same family that Naraku had slaughtered for a shard of the shikon jewel. I took five quick, strategically placed shots at the demons. It gave Miroku room to maneuver in the mob of demons he had been in and kept Kohaku from using them on Sango. There was no way that they could get to Kohaku because if they did then Sango was done for. There were just to many for her to take on by herself, let alone distracted, they would overwhelm her.  
  
Sango was having a hard enough time just blocking all of Kohaku's attacks so that all she was able to do was defend herself and beg him to remember. The pain in her voice brought prickling tears to my eyes every time, and if I felt bad I know that Miroku must be feeling terrible right now. He would do anything to keep Sango from getting hurt, seeing her like that must be killing him.  
  
I shot off another round of arrows at the endless sea of demons and turned toward the center of the battleground and the real fight. Toward Inuyasha and Naraku. My stomach clenched painfully as fear gripped me once again, but I steadily pushed it back. What I saw didn't help any; Naraku was safe behind his black and red-streaked shield, laughing at Inuyasha's attempts to break through to him. That evil, throaty laugh sent cold shivers down my spine.  
  
My heart fell to my knees as I saw that not only wasn't Inuyasha getting through the shield but he was also wearing himself out trying. Damn it! I should be out there helping him! He's stronger when were together! But nnoooo I had to make that stupid promise to him...  
  
[FLASHBACK]  
_"Inuyasha! How can you even ask me that?! I will not stand helplessly by when my friends are in danger!" Kagome turned away from him in a huff and walked away angrily, her temper making her restless. Inuyasha immediately caught up with her, grabbed her upper arm and turned her around to face him. Furious sapphire eyes glared at him, they practically crackled with her anger.  
  
He winced under the intensity of her gaze but his concern for her safety pushed aside his fear of her anger. Unconsciously he grabbed her other arm in his intensity, 'She HAS to understand!' He shifted nervously under her gaze and instinctively, started to rub circles on her arms with his thumbs. That small touch seemed to help him allot. ::sigh::  
  
"I should have known better than to ask you to stay away in your time, but this is Naraku were talking about! At the very least PROMISE me that you won't jump into the actual battle. Please, stay shooting distance away. I, I couldn't live with myself if I lost you..." His voice rose and fell with his emotions, while his golden eyes shone with his anxiety.  
_  
_Shocked Kagome felt her anger drain away as his words hit her. Confusion lightened her eyes several shades until they were a soft indigo. Frantic Inuyasha threw caution to the wind and let himself embrace her, he pulled her to him desperately. The solidity of her in his arms calmed him down a little. The reality that she was there, with him, and alive did wonders for his nerves.  
  
Kagome stiffened at his suddenness; she was so confused but his words made her smile. She slowly relaxed into his embrace and cautiously hugged him back. She didn't know if he would pull away from the moment like he always did. But when he only held her closer to him and then buried his nose into the crook of her neck she melted into the moment.  
  
She was so lost, she would have promised him the world in that moment. "Hai, Inuyasha." she whispered into his neck, his hair tickled her nose as she breathed so she didn't notice the shiver that went through him at the feel of her lips whispering against his neck.  
  
The tension that had been rolling inside him immediately drained away at her words and left him with a faint euphoric feeling inside. A breath he didn't even know he'd been holding escaped in a rush against Kagome's neck. He didn't notice the faint tremor that ran through the girl's frame. _

[END FLASHBACK]  
  
::Sigh:: I leaned back against the rubble and drew some much needed air into my lungs. There was no way that I could have said no to him that day, or was it evening? I don't really remember anything about it except that it was him and me in the forest, or was it in the village? Damn! First it was my temper leading me around blindly and then it was him. I need to start paying more attention, speaking of paying attention.  
  
"Shippo are you ok?" I looked down at the ball of fluff around my ankles and gave him a very strained smile. It was the best I could do under the situation, "Hai, Kagome. I'm ok." I could tell that he was 'scared shitless' in Inuyasha's words, not mine. Because of his death grip on my leg I could feel the shivers that ran through his tiny frame. "Your doing great, I'm sure that you wont let a single demon sneak up on us this time." I had to fight to keep the smile from showing as he puffed up proudly. He's so kawaii!  
  
I gently smoothed the hair on his head, hoping to calm him down while listening carefully to the battle out there. Something was wrong though; I sat there stroking the kitsune's soft hair when it hit me. When I had peeked at Naraku I had noticed that he was all alone. Normally either Kagura or Kanna would be here, or even one of his demon puppets. Why aren't they here? Naraku is a manipulative SOB there's no way that he simply forgot to call in the cavalry.  
  
Suddenly I felt a faint trace of power at the back of my head, it was as if a cold finger was caressing my spine from the inside. I knew that feeling. I peeked around my 'fort' and looked around for HER, for Kikyo. But she was nowhere to be seen, damn it. I should have known, with a resigned air I started to turn back at Inuyasha, she wouldn't be seen until she was good and ready and not a second earlier, but Miroku's words stopped me cold.  
  
"Kagura!" Damn! While I was lost in my thoughts Naraku's back up had arrived. I quickly looked around and immediately spotted Miroku who was now completely absorbed in his battle with Kagura. "Blades of Wind!" Miroku, atop of Kirara, hastily dodged her attack. Crap, she's only playing with him! Meanwhile here I am gawking at the show when the real danger is still out there!  
  
I quickly started to scan the area but Kanna wasn't there, maybe she didn't come? But as soon as that came into my mind I squashed it down. This was too big a fight for Naraku not to bring out all his toys. Suddenly a pain-filled scream cut through the heavy air.  
  
My eyes automatically looked for the source but the crowd of demons surrounding her blocked Sango from sight. I don't know what came over me, all I know is that my friend was in trouble and I had to help her. I shot off a string of arrows, destroying them by the hundreds, until I could finally see my friend.  
  
There she was on the ground, with Kohaku standing blankly over her. Her blood glistened on his weapon, clear evidence of how she had been injured. My heart cried out for her, her own brother! She just laid there, her face revealing all the pain and betrayal she was feeling. "Kohaku?" That tiny, uncertain word spoke volumes and carried all the way across the battled field to my ears. I felt all her pain in that one word and suddenly I couldn't just sit there doing nothing.  
  
I couldn't fight her battles for her, Sango was on her own with Kohaku, I know that she can do it. However I CAN take care of the demons just waiting to jump her once she shows some sign of weakness.  
  
I turned and started showering the sky with my sacred arrows; the endless sea of demons just didn't seem so endless now. My arrows lit up the battlefield like tiny, pink fireworks. I didn't even feel the tears running down my face. When I was shaking too badly to shoot I stopped and looked around once again.  
  
My gaze was immediately drawn toward Inuyasha and Naraku. "Diamond Cutting Blast!" I held my breath, hoping that the attack was strong enough to cut through Naraku's deadly looking shields. But no, he just let Inuyasha attack while he continued to laugh at him. Suddenly he reached out one of his many tentacles and, still laughing, threw Inuyasha into a wall of his castle.  
  
He fell heavily into the wooden structure. Inuyasha! My feet practically itched to go to him, but I promised. Damn! Naraku continued his attack on Inuyasha, using his tentacle-like arms to poke holes into his own castle. I could barley see his baboon-covered face, his shield was too cloudy to see through clearly.  
  
Suddenly, two things happened at once: Inuyasha burst through to roof of the castle and out of nowhere, a powerful sacred arrow flew at Naraku. But instead of breaking on impact or bouncing off of him, like all our previous attacks, it flew straight into the murky substance. Tiny pink cracks snaked all over Naraku's black and red-streaked shield. His gloating laugh was cut-off so abruptly I wondered if it had ever been there to begin with. My ears ignored the cold shudders that ran down my spine at his laughter.  
  
His shield pulsed for a second before it abruptly exploded. Without the shield the full extent of his powers poured out like a flood. If his aura was hard to handle before it was nothing to how it felt like now. Suddenly I was choking, like there wasn't enough air to pull into my lungs.  
  
My heart pounded against my chest like a trapped thing as his power rode over me and continued to spread. Oh god, if this was affecting me like this how are the others faring? Fear rippled and boiled in my stomach, causing my stomach muscles to dance wildly. Kami, help them. Please.  
  
I didn't even realize when good, clean air rushed into my lungs. All I knew was that I was free of whatever had held me. My eyes flew open as a shrill cry pierced the power-saturated air; I quickly darted around the ruins and searched for the source.  
  
After that everything went to fast for me to remember clearly. It was like the world was on hyper drive.  
  
I saw a flash of white at the corner of my eye and whirled around in search of it but it was too late. Miroku stood above a prone Sango with his staff held high in his hands, his eyes were empty, like violet glass. Kagura was standing beside him looking smug, her blood red eyes glittering happily. There was no way that she should have been able to take control of Miroku... unless Kanna WAS here!  
  
I didn't have to wait long. With an evil chuckle Kagura cut the strings holding Miroku and he collapsed beside Sango, who had a tiny Kirara in her arms, the both of them unconscious. Seconds later Kanna materialized and started to suck Sango's soul into her mirror.  
  
No! Without thinking about it I had loosed another arrow. I had to get them free of those two! My arrow flew true and pierced the mirror. I fully expected for it to disappear into the mirror, and overwhelm it like it did last time. But that's not what happened.  
  
Instead of disappearing completely into the mirror, my arrow suddenly burst out the back, into Kanna and out her back. At the same time the mirror just suddenly shattered, breaking up into tiny pieces, like glitter. Leaving a very human looking Kanna standing there.  
  
In my surprise I didn't even see my friends souls jolt back into them as Kanna just stood there; blinking rapidly with a confused look on her face. Around then I felt another cold blast of power. Kikyo was back. But for the life of me I couldn't look away from the drama in front of me to face the one behind me.   
  
Even from so far away I could see her pupil's resurface, along with the baby blue of her irises. The first traces of color on her. Every second that she stood there she looked more alive. With a visible shudder Kanna suddenly ran off into the night, leaving Kagura standing there with the weirdest look on her face.

Her eyes shone with a strange light, I think I saw a flash of... hope? But it disappeared almost as soon as it had come so suddenly that I wasn't sure that it had been there to begin with. She pulled out her feather and was gone. Just like that. I stood there blinking, trying to process what had just happened.  
  
It was the sight of my friends trying to get up, even under all that pain, that brought me back. I shot off three arrows in a triangle around them. I knew that the glow would protect them until they were better. That's when I noticed that Kohaku was gone, but Naraku's scream of fury jerked me away from my thoughts.  
  
Inuyasha's soft inquiry drew me away from Naraku, "Kikyo?" I found her standing over Inuyasha with that knife that she always carries embedded to the hilt in his side. Suddenly I couldn't breath again and a cold ball of fear settled heavily in my stomach, he couldn't die. He can't! I stood there by my hiding place, the same hiding place that he had made me stay in. He can't be dead, Kami please don't let him be dead.  
  
"Kikyo, how nice to see you. You always do good work." Naraku's rumbling voice carried in the air to me, making me cringe. His voice seemed more charged now that his full power was free; it seemed to carry his emotions in it now. And those two sentences, though he said them mildly enough, cut through the air like broken glass. His anger bubbling under the surface.  
  
But I couldn't look away from Inuyasha and Kikyo. He was on his knees at her feet, looking at her with such a wounded expression in his face, so raw, so full of so many things that can be used to hurt, that I felt my own heart breaking. He loves her so much, yet she always does this too him! How can she?!  
  
Kikyo just continued to look at him with the same cold look she always gives him. His pain sat naked on his face, and she just brushed it off. "Why?" He croaked out, Kikyo merely jerked the knife out, and that's when the blood started to flow, feeding the earth with his blood. She turned away coldly and addressed Naraku.  
  
"Inuyasha is mine Naraku. Nobody shall have the pleasure of killing him but me. Never forget that." Her arrogant drawl raised the tiny hairs at the back of my neck and made my spine straighter. How can she say that? She just did that to him to prove a point? My gaze snapped back to Inuyasha who was still kneeling at her feet, looking at her with a incredulous look on his face.  
  
"Inu. Yasha." I didn't even realize that I had spoken out loud until Kikyo whipped around to look at me. With a strange glint in her eyes she nodded in my direction, her eyes filled my vision and I stood frozen. Suddenly she looked away and I could move again, my first thought was to go to Inuyasha but before I could take more than a couple of steps I felt a tug at my skirt. Confused I looked down and found Shippo latched on to me, frantically trying to get my attention.  
  
That's when I realized that we weren't alone anymore. I could feel them at my back, hundreds of them. I carefully picked Shippo up and then I slowly, almost painfully, turned around to look at what it was that was behind us, the way that you do in nightmares. You turn, knowing that the hot breath on your skin really is the monster. I fought not to but at the same time something wouldn't let me NOT look.  
  
For the umpteenth time that day I found myself acting without thinking. Fear roiled in my stomach like I had a bad case of food poisoning, as I stood there, paralyzed with it. I found my face buried in Shippo's fur with one arm around him and the other uselessly batting the demons away. Right, big threat that was.  
  
But hey it worked because the next thing I knew a warm rush of SOMETHING pooled inside me and in a tingling wave it made its way down the arm that was batting the demons away. Stupid demons, I needed to go help Inuyasha! I whish that they would just "GO AWAY!" And suddenly that tingling, warm wave spilled out through my hand before I knew what was happening.  
  
At first I thought that I was deaf because I couldn't hear anything, but Shippo's excited voice stated otherwise. "Kagome, you did it! Wow! I didn't know that you could DO that!" He was squirming in my arm so I put him down and let him jump around excitedly. I was still too dazed to think about the implications of what I had just done; all I knew was that I was alive. Wait, Inuyasha!  
  
My head snapped up, I needed to find him. Instead I found everybody else staring at what I had just done. Almost like some invisible flag had gone off the battle started again and Sango and Miroku started to fight of the meager amount of demons left. Well if you could call dozens of demons meager.  
  
Glancing around I barley noticed that one of Naraku's many arms is flying at me. Crap, how do I get myself into these things? "So little, girl. Your more useful than I first thought you to be. You will make a nice addition to my army." I didn't have time to do anything else but cringe. I sort of hunched in on myself and squeezed my eyes shut as I waited for the blow to come. But it never did.  
  
"KAGOME!!" My eyes automatically snapped open in time to see Inuyasha blow the arm away, distracting Naraku, who in turn smacked Inuyasha into the ground with another of his arms. "Inuyasha!" I have to go to him! I didn't even realize that I had started my way to him until one of Kikyo's arrows fell a few feet in front of me, effectively stopping me in my tracks. Surprised that something had actually gotten in my way of getting to him I automatically turned to look for the source of my hindrance. My eyes fell on Kikyo as she gracefully made her way toward us, after quick scan I noticed that Naraku had thrown Inuyasha several meters from where he had started.  
  
Kikyo stopped right between Inuyasha and me; there was no way that I could get to him with her in the way. The symbolism was not lost on me. I was suddenly shaking with anger; he's hurt and needs some help. Why wont she MOVE?!  
  
Almost against my will I found myself staring into her eyes, her normally cold brown orbs had a strange glint to them that, under normal circumstances, would've had me frozen me on the spot. But now... I just felt angry. A scalding anger that warmed me to the core, her coldness just melted off of me.  
  
Get. Out. Of. My. Way. I said very, very carefully. Afraid that if I raised my voice I would seriously hurt her, and however angry I was, I don't really want to hurt her. She just ignored my though, "How did you do that?" she haughtily asked me, confident that I was no more a threat than a fly. It only made that scalding wave flare and dance wildly inside me. But before it could break over her she turned her back to me and faced Inuyasha.  
  
"You are a fool, throwing your life away like this. And for what?" Her confident drawl carried the first traces of curiosity. Almost as if she honestly didn't understand why he did what he did.  
  
Visibly struggling to get up he answered her, "I promised to protect you until you rested in peace. I promised that I would avenge your death. I'll keep that promise." Inuyasha replied huskily, his eyes brimming with all those different emotions inside of him. I could have sworn that his eyes flicked toward me but I wasn't sure.  
  
All that anger had slowly drained away at the look on his face, but it came back with a vengeance when she started to laugh. It was a high, bubbly laugh that was genuinely amused at his reply. "You are pitiful, you deserve to die---" She never go to finfish that sentence because Naraku chose that moment to smack her aside with one of his many tentacles. [A/N: seems like he got tired of waiting] My anger instantly disappeared, replaced by concern, when I saw her pale body smack against a wall of Naraku's castle and fall limply toward the ground.  
  
I didn't have any time to dwell on the dead miko though, because immediately after smacking her out of the way Naraku picked Inuyasha up by the neck and flung him into the castle. That's it! Enough is enough! All that anger that had been running through me before was nothing compared to what I felt now.  
  
It was like my veins were on fire with the intensity of it, my skin tried to crawl off of me, my very bones ached with it. My senses went into overdrive and overwhelmed me; I could feel every trace of wind, every hair on my body, while at the same time the world narrowed down to Naraku and me. I suddenly had tunnel vision and I wanted him to hurt. Like he hurt us all. I didn't realize that I had started to glow with a strange purple light. Splotches of white, pink, and blue danced and flowed together, hovering over my skin.  
  
"Its time to put you down, you've been a pain in my side since I lay in Kikyo's care. Die knowing that Kikyo is mine, that soon your friends will die too, and that your other woman will be mine as well--" his voice reached my ears faint and distorted, like it was far, far away. I never realized what I had done. I was loosing time.  
  
My vision filled with a burst of pink, blocking Naraku from my limited sight, when it faded away I was left with a splotchy view of him with the entire left side of his torso gone, not a trace was left of his missing limbs. "Kikyo?" It was like trying to talk through thick, closed doors, I vaguely heard Naraku's incredulous voice. But it was unimportant so I brushed it aside.  
  
_Confused Naraku turned to toward where the arrow had come from, fully expecting to see a enraged Kikyo while a barely conscious Inuyasha dangled limply from his grip, like a rag doll, forgotten in his surprise as they hovered several meters in the air.  
_  
When the spots cleared I found myself staring at Inuyasha, for a second there, all I could see was him. His face was a ruin from all the blows he had taken tonight, his clothes were in tatters and there was no doubt that he was in allot of pain. My tunnel vision suddenly widened when Naraku's voice echoed through my skull.  
  
"You're stronger than Kikyo, she could have never done what you just did. How did you do that?" His voice rumbled inside my head painfully. It kept switching in and out like a old radio, as if the reception was off. But the feeling behind his words came through loud and clear.  
  
Suddenly he let out a bark of laughter, the evilness in that laugh raised the first stirrings of fear since my temper took over but I stubbornly pushed it down. My anger is what's keeping me from buckling under all the power leaking out of him. I can't let it slip away. But as I stood there wrapping my anger around me Naraku suddenly crushed Inuyasha's back to him and burrowed his "hand" into Inuyasha's shoulder.  
  
It brought out a scream of pain and anger from him that tore at my insides, distracting me from Naraku but his words brought me back. "What are you going to do? Shoot me with your arrows? Do it, I dare you. You might kill me but your love will die with me!" And he continued to laugh, a deep, maniacal laugh that even my anger couldn't burn away as he dug his hand deeper into Inuyasha's shoulder.  
  
I heard him clearly this time and with that revelation I could suddenly see Inuyasha's face as if I was standing inches in from of him. His face was contorted in pain, fear, hate, stubbornness and did I mention pain? Lots and lots of pain.  
  
I suddenly felt all my rage start to gather at my core, all that scalding heat slowly sank back into me, leaving me feeling empty. I can't do this. I can't hurt Inuyasha. But if I don't do something then Naraku is going to hurt him even more! Kami what do I do?  
  
_As she stood there doubting herself the aura surrounding her started to flicker and die. It flowed back under her skin, undetectable as always. Kagome slowly sunk to her knees, her weapon forgotten. She huddled in on herself, slowly rocking back and forth and the war inside her head pulled her in opposite directions.  
_  
I vaguely heard Naraku's evil, triumphant laugh, but the voices inside my head kept me from fully focusing on him, making his voice seem distant and hollow.  
  
_She wasn't aware that her friends had seen the entire thing. True they were busy with Naraku's hoard of demons and Shippo was hiding in the ruins, but Kagome's arrow had drawn them toward the drama. At the sight of their friends visible struggle they all felt like they had to help, their bodies might be occupied but their mouths were not. With a strong heave of Hiraikotsu that drove off one of the demons attacks Sango shouted over at her friend, "Kagome! Don't give up!"  
_  
Sango? Slowly I swam up, past the voices in my head and focused on her voice. She came through a little sluggishly but her words came through.  
  
"Whatever you do Kagome, we'll be stand by you!" "She's right Kagome! Don't let this battle be for nothing, Inuyasha wouldn't want that!" That's Miroku! Slowly my foggy mind began to clear at their encouragement. "Yeah! What they said! You can do Kagome!" Shippo's words made it to me and seemed to chase the last of the cobwebs out of my skull.  
  
Suddenly my vision was back and I was calm, no longer afraid. I can do this, not because I'm the best qualified for the job but because I'm the ONLY one for the job. Nobody else can do this but me. That stray thought brought forth a strong sense of peace with it. It doesn't matter if what I chose to do is the right decision because it's the only choice we have right now.  
  
Faintly, like white noise, I can hear the sound of Sango, Kirara, and Miroku fighting the demons but Inuyasha's grunts and Naraku's triumphant laughter hold my full attention and the ground fills my vision. Huh, I didn't realize that I'd been staring at the ground.  
  
I tried to move but my body protested to the movement so that I had to stand up slowly . I think it amused Naraku, judging by the tone of his laugh. Huh, I'm still looking at the ground. I never noticed how dusty battlefield's always are.  
  
The next thing I knew I felt Inuyasha's eyes on me, don't ask me how I know this, I just do. My eyes slowly rolled up to meet his golden stare. I put all my self into my eyes and prayed that he understood what I was about to do, and what I needed him to do. I can't be sure but there seemed to be an answering flicker in his eyes. That's when everything seemed to slow down to a crawl.   
  
_Naraku dug his hand into Inuyasha's shoulder a few inches deeper. Kagome's aura flared to life in a blinding purple so bright it was a painful, stark white, effectively blinding Naraku. While Inuyasha braced himself for the impact as Kagome's command ran through the air, "SIT!"  
  
"Kami, she's so beautiful and strong." Ran through Inuyasha's mind as Kagome's aura enveloped her, for some reason it was a soft light to him and he could see her clearly. Naraku suddenly stopped laughing as Inuyasha was jerked powerfully out of his grip. Inuyasha automatically tensed as the ground ran up to meet him, not even a second later he leapt away, toward her and away from Naraku as Kagome's sacred arrow flew toward Naraku.  
  
Inuyasha plastered himself to the ground; her arrow came so close that he felt a strong wind along his spine.  
_  
I didn't even think as I shot my arrow, I couldn't think because if I did I would question my "plan" and even chicken out of it. So many things could go wrong.  
  
My arrow sunk into Naraku's chest and for a second there I thought that it wasn't powerful enough. But then rays of strong, almost blinding purple light burst out of Naraku. It was like his very pores were leaking my power. Like his body wasn't big enough to hold it.  
  
It was as I looked into his hate-filled eyes that I realized that when he blew he would take us all with him. Ironically enough, it's not him that would kill us all but my own power.  
  
NO! I wont let everybody die!  
  
_With a power she didn't even know she had, almost as if by sheer will power, Kagome encased everybody in some sort of protective bubble(s) seconds before Naraku blew apart and his power crashed over them all. It took out everything in a ten-mile radius, including his own castle and the demons.  
  
Miraculously enough, the shields held and everybody was safe. Kirara and Sango were huddled in Miroku's arms while Shippo had wound up cradled by Inuyasha who lay near Kagome who stood in the same position she had been in when she fired her arrow. Suddenly all of her energy ran out of her and she collapsed onto the ground as the shards rain down on them like tiny pink stars._

___  
_:.:.:.:.:.:  
_ Miles away from the fight, in a safe hiding place, Akago was on the ground writhing in pain, a thin trail of blood flowed from his mouth and nose. A few seconds passed before his body slowed down enough to the occasional twitch and he was able to get up, his normal calm and cool demeanor was gone. His lilac hair was covered in dirt, along with his face and clothes.  
  
But his eyes, his strange lilac eyes had a vacant and confused look at them one second and the next shined with amusent. "So he's dead." He let out a evil, skin crawling chuckle, pleased with the revelation. "He will have a harder time getting back with only one shard of the jewel." Was his last thought before he passed out, on the earth floor.  
  
Several days later he would be wake up in a human village with no recollection of where or who he was.  
_  
............................................................................................................................................................  
  
Please review this chapter, even if you refuse to review the rest, because this one was especially hard for me and I really need the feed-back.  
  
Oh and sorry about the length, I know its supper long, but its worth it no?


	2. Healing and Pain

All right guys, sorry I took so long, I was busy with school and work, and a bit of writers block. However I did manage to run this through my schools spell check so be happy, cuz it aint getting any better in sentence structures and stuff. Also I decided to draw everything out a bit more instead of speeding it up so In this chapter everybody's part in the battle is fleshed out a bit more and Kagome and Inuyasha do something surprising, besides making out. ^.^  
Don't forget to review!  
  
Disclaimer: u know the drill. I own nothing!!!! And if I get sued they'll get nothing too, cuz that's what I got! *raspberry*  
  
**************************************************************************** * Healing and Pain  
  
Inside Kaede's hut it was dark and the only sounds were those of people breathing and some occasional tossing. Inuyasha, Kagome, Kirara, Sango and Miroku are resting after the battle.  
Medical supplies are by everybody; some of Kagome first aid supplies were scattered around too with instructions attached so that everybody would know how to use them & what they were for. Kaede had found that some of Kagome's medicine worked better or faster than hers did and had decided to use a mix of their supplies to tend to everybody's wounds.  
Inuyasha was breathing deeply, his demon blood was using all of his body's energy to heal him. In the dim light filtering through the rice paper windows you could see that he was stripped to the waist. He had bandages that wound around his stomach and trailed to the shoulder that Naraku had almost shredded with his claws. His left arm was also in a splint, having been dislocated sometime in the battle.  
[flashback]: He was aware that Kagome was doing her best to help everybody form the spot he had told her to stay in, yet he knew that if one of their friends got hurt she would go to them. It was the best he would get out of her and he knew it, Kagome just didn't have it in her to stand by and watch other people get hurt without doing her best to try and help. He thought back to the night before and was proud of her refusal too go any farther than bow range. 'NO! Inuyasha, I will not go back to my time. I refuse to let you guys go and get hurt while I'm sitting at home safe!' Kagome had flatly refused.  
He smiled, glad that he had a woman who was so strong and caring. Before he could analyze that thought Naraku, sensing his distraction, attacked him! His attack sent Inuyasha flying into Naraku's castle, while Inuyasha was trying to get back up his left ear twitched independently of his right one at the sound of a whimper. Eyes narrowed Inuyasha looked up to try and find the source of that sound. Suddenly Kagome screamed, Inuyasha's ears turned toward her voice then plastered to his skull at such a loud tone. He knew where she was and leapt to go to her but was stopped by Naraku in mid-leap.  
Inuyasha didn't take notice of Naraku who had a crushing hold on his arm. His face full of worry, his eyes were haunted, his mouth a thin hard line and his ears plastered to his skull. He was trying his best to keep the anxious whine that wanted to escape at the thought of her hurt. Desperate to get to Kagome he jerked his arm and a loud snap was heard. Surprised Naraku let him go at the feel of Inuyasha's arm going slack, Naraku was amazed at the hanyou's passion. Inuyasha didn't realize what he had done; all he knew was that he had to get to Kagome, to do anything else was inconceivable. She was his world. His heart. Not registering the pain, he ran to the woman who held his world in her hands...[end flashback]  
"Kagome..." Inuyasha quietly called out to her, his face had anxious lines on it and his ears were drooping. He restlessly flung his right arm out the side, at the same time Kagome rolled over onto his arm, almost like she was pulled to him by his voice. Inuyasha's hand distinctly closed over Kagome's shoulder, holding her tightly.  
Kagome looking pale -almost dead- snuggled a little deeper onto his arm (like trying to find a better spot on a pillow), some color returned to her face as she lay next to Inuyasha. Being so close and the added bonus of them touching seemed to give them both more energy, it was almost like they were sharing each other's power.  
The power that had saved them all had escaped in its raw form, exploding past the limits of Kagome's body and spilling onto her target, taking allot out of Kagome. After the first arrow she had shot Naraku with she had collapsed, all the power she had used to help her friends that night had slowly used up her energy. By the time she shot Naraku she had had to pour all her energy into that one, Naraku's words had been the finishing blow and broken her will causing her to give up and fall.  
In the end it had been her friend's encouragement had spurred her on. Their need awaken her power, in an overwhelming wave, Kagome had had enough will to direct it but that was all she could do. Her power took over after that, simply exploding from her body and destroying Naraku, but exhausting her body.  
Kagome's top had been removed, leaving her in her skirt and bra with a cloth thrown over the bra for added coverage. You could see the cuts and deep bruises all over her body that promised to turn all the colors of the rainbow before they disappeared. Bandages and Neosporin were on the various cuts and scrapes. Her wounds disappeared under the blanket covering her.  
Kagome seemed to be having some kind of bad dream and was crying out in her sleep, reopening some of the cuts on her arms and legs where a demon had managed to sneak up on her. She quieted when Inuyasha curled his arm around her and pulled her to him. (A/n: he of course had no idea he did this!) Kagome automatically molded herself onto his side and chest, exposing more carefully tended wounds.  
Kagome was having a weird dream: She saw a beautiful field; sakura blossoms were dancing in the wind, perfuming the air. The sky was the perfect blue with white cotton candy clouds and a golden sun shining beautifully. Kagome was enjoying the experience from a sakura blossoms perspective, but something was nagging her. Looking closely at everything she noticed that something was wrong, not in a bad way, just different.  
She was floating in the soft air when it struck her. Everything was too intense, the smells were too strong and the colors too bright. 'There are at least 50 new shades of color here that I've never seen before' Kagome realized. As she marveled at this a voice whispered in her mind, the voice reminded her of every imaginable living thing known to her (and some that she didn't). 'WE ARE THE ESSENCE, THE SOULS OF EVERYTHING, THAT HAS EVER BEEN. REAL OR IMAGINED.' It told her, stunned Kagome realized that while she might have been there (in her dream) she wasn't actually able to interact freely. It was like she was reliving someone's memories, 'But a sakura blossom' she thought confusedly. Suddenly the wind picked up, carrying with it the smell of something foul, it slowly overwhelmed the other smells. The air shifted from a gentle breeze to a bitter wind and as the air faded so did the colors.  
She was carried on the wind, watching everything whither and die; that stench seemed to be suffocating all the life in the field. 'NO!' She was terrified (It was the kind of fear animals faced in lieu of a forest fire. A blind fear with no end, by someone who had never known fear before), she felt that fear suffocating, paralyzing her. It was pushed back by a familiar warmth it enveloped and protected her, but it didn't change the fact that the field was slowly dying and she couldn't do anything to stop it.  
Right before everything was completely gone she heard that same eerie yet beautiful voice in her mind again. 'HELP. IT'S COMING...' Kagome was suddenly jerked out of the dream and into a soft black space by a deep growling (A/N: Inuyasha of course! He's so cute!!), it resonated through her limbs, calming and lulling her into unconsciousness.  
Inuyasha lay with Kagome sleeping on his chest, his right arm wound tightly around her waist. He was growling softly, to soothe kagome, it was a pitch so low that it was out of hearing range. He had been drawn into her dream when they had touched; he had been the warmth that had pushed back the terror. Inuyasha worried that whatever that stench belonged to would notice that Kagome was there and hurt her. Never mind that they hadn't moved from Kaede's hut. His ears were standing up defiantly on his head and his lip curled back in a silent snarl at the thought of his woman being hurt. With Kagome unconscious he too had lost the dream and followed her into unconsciousness too.  
When they woke up neither of them would remember anything except for a faint sadness at the edge of their thoughts.  
Sango lay next to Kagome; she had fared well against kohaku. Her top had been shredded; the middle and the sleeves had been cut off. She had bandages that covered five deep gouges on her belly that were beginning to bruise at the edges. Kohaku and a few of Naraku's demons had landed a few more blows, cutting her deeply on her right thigh, but otherwise Sango got off lightly. Thanks to Miroku's help...  
[flashback]: "Sangooo!" Miroku started running towards Sango and Kohaku. Kohaku had conned Sango into letting up on her attacks and then mercilessly attacked and embedded his weapon into her thigh. Dispassionately he roughly tore it out. Hurt Sango fell to her knee nursing her injury and heart while Kohaku raised his weapon again to finish her off. Miroku's warning was lost to her; she was so deep in her pain that she didn't see the danger.  
'How can he of done this? Kohaku. I know your still in there. Damn Naraku! You took my family. My world from me in the space of one night!' 'Really? Then what are they?' a little voice in the back of her head asked her. Suddenly several images ran through Sango's mind. Images of Kagome and Sango sitting in the hot spring talking and laughing only to be cut off by Kagome suddenly stiffening and a very pissed off 'SIT' resounding in the air followed by Inuyasha's inane form falling from a tree, startling the birds out of their nests and a Inuyasha shaped hole in a rock/ Inuyasha and Sango fighting together to defeat the water demon (see episode 27: The God of Water Who Governs the Lake of Darkness)/ Shippo and Kirara playing together/ Miroku protecting her on Mt. Hakurei.  
'Aren't they your family now? You protect and care for each other...' Sango gasped 'they. Are. My family!' she realized. 'Then don't waste the time you have with them. You of all people should know that life is short.'  
  
A ringing sound dispersed her thoughts, she looked up to see Miroku standing above her, his staff blocking Kohaku's attack "Sango, are you all right?! You must get up, we need you!" Sango looked at Miroku her eye's shining with a strange light. "Hai!" [end flashback]  
Sango gave a small smile and reached for Miroku, she found his hand and their fingers laced around each other. She had a family now. She wasn't alone.  
Miroku lay next to her completely stripped; a sheet covered him from his hips down as he lay on his belly. On his back were, six ghastly looking gouges, from a demon's claws...  
[flashback]: He was on Kirara's back; they were in the air running toward a sea of demons in the night sky. As they got closer to them the air got thicker, their sickeningly sweet reek clogging the air with their evil. Miroku and Kirara dived in, trying to escape Kagura's wind attacks. Inside the mob they simultaneously attacked and killed the demons, clearing a path to the other side.  
As they emerged one lone snake demon, the size of two Mack trucks, managed to surprise and attack Miroku, not expecting this they faltered. The demon took the opportunity to try and rip him off Kirara's back. Its claws extended, it dived, out of instinct Miroku ducked. Kirara, sensing that he was in trouble, roughly jumped to the side. The demons claws raked across his back instead of ripping through him and instantly killing Miroku. [end flashback]  
Kagura's attacks had done plenty of damage, the deep gashes on his arms and legs were evidence to that, but the one on his back was the worst. Miroku was lucky that none of the wounds had permanently handicapped him. Miroku flinched, his body convulsing slightly as his wounds caused occasional jolts of pain to run up and down his back. In response Sango gently squeezed his hand, silently telling him it would be all right. He seemed to draw strength from Sago's touch; he slowly relaxed and fell into a deeper slumber.  
Kirara laying between Sango and Miroku (just in-case Miroku tried to do more than grab her butt), was healing nicely, she had a few cuts on her body from battling Kagura and Naraku's demons with Miroku...  
[flashback]: Kirara was fighting Kagura and the sea of demons with Miroku. Watching the two, their fighting looked like a well-orchestrated dance. They always seemed aware of where the other was and what they were doing. If one needed help the other was instantly there.  
Kagura threw her wind attack at Miroku, he wasn't fast enough to escape it, but Kirara quickly scooped him up. Not missing a beat Miroku killed the demons creeping up behind them. Kirara deposited Miroku behind Kagura and turned to face the demons while Miroku attacked Kagura again.  
Kagura threw her wind blades hazardly around trying to get one of them, she succeeded in scratching Kirara on her side before Miroku used his barrier to shield them while Kirara dove out of therewith him on her back. Only to be surrounded by demons in the air. Catching them off guard they managed to land on Kirara and started to attack. Miroku quickly got them off of her and protected her from more attacks while Kirara kept others from getting that close...[end flashback]  
Because Kirara was part demon and her wounds weren't that extensive, she was healing faster than the others. Watching Kirara's wounds heal was like watching a rose bloom backwards fast-forwarded. They started bright red and gaping but were slowly closing and then disappearing completely.  
If you stared you wouldn't be able to see anything, but if you looked away, when you glanced at it again you could see that there had been some definite progress.  
Everybody had various degrees of scrapes and bruises all over themselves, some more sever than others.  
Outside Shippo and Kaede were sitting on a rock talking quietly, enjoying the soft rays of the midday sun on their shoulders. Shippo had a huge band aid on his right ear and another one his left knee. He had been telling Kaede the details of the battle. "...And that's what happened."  
"I transformed into my balloon shape so that I could carry everybody. Sango, Miroku and Kirara managed to get everybody onto my back and then we came here, you know the rest" He finished.  
Kaede was quiet for a while, absorbing everything that fox cub had said. 'So, her power's have finally awakened...'  
  
*************************************************************************** So, what do you think? I know that there wasn't much progress in the plot and then I had to go and leave you with a cliffie! I'm so proud! But I felt that this ch. was needed to add more detail to the battle and to draw everybody closer. Don't worry to make up for that im uploading several chappies at once! Don't forget to review!!!! Let me know if you like it, hate it, but tell me y! 


	3. speculations and blame

Ok this one is about Kaede and her thoughts about the jewel and Kagome and Kikyo's powers. I couldn't help myself, Shippo also has a few parts, he and Kaede are the only ones that weren't worn out from the battle, sooo... deal with it. ~.~ No idea what ooc is but Shippo is his usal cute self.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own him, im just holding Inuyasha against his will so I can play with him for a bit. But I don't own him! Don't worry he likes it *starts rubbing his ears* mmhhuaaahhhaaaa **************************************************************************** * Speculations and Blame  
Outside Shippo and Kaede were sitting on a rock talking quietly, enjoying the soft rays of the midday sun on their shoulders. Shippo had a huge Band-Aid on his right ear (A/N: he's so cute!) and another one his left knee. He was telling Kaede the details of the battle. "...And that's what happened."  
"I transformed into my balloon shape so that I could carry everybody. Sango, Miroku and Kirara managed to get everybody onto my back and then we came here, you know the rest" He finished. Kaede was quiet for a while, absorbing everything that fox cub had said.  
'So, her power's have finally awakened. I was wondering when they would appear. With the constant fighting she does they should have manifested long before. It was her compassion for others safety that caused her full powers to appear in battle, but if truth be told I was beginning to fear her powers would never emerge.'  
'I remember Kikyo knowing what she was for most of her youth, as a small child she was able to see things that the rest of us could not. When she shot her first demon with her sacred arrows she was 9. She was so young.she immediately saw the help she could be to others and buried herself in scrolls so that she could learn how to best use her ancient powers. Kikyo's powers had not been seen since Midoriko's time. Although Kikyo did not have her exact powers it was close enough that she knew where to search for the knowledge she needed..'  
'Kikyo knew her duty but she forgot her heart, in the process of learning her powers she missed the fun of being a child. She believed that her life would be a lonely one; it saddened me that she thought that she had to have either friendship or her duty when she could have easily had both. The men were to awed' of her to truly consider her as a potential wife, they respected her duty and never thought to hinder her.'  
'When the Shikon Jewel came into her care I believe her fate was sealed. If any of them men had entertained any feeling for her, after that day they decided to let her be. I know my sister felt alone and desperately needed companionship but I don't think even she was aware of that. She was never truly alone; she just didn't let too many people into her heart. Having such powers and being the guardian of the Shikon jewel combined to make a very lonely life for my sister.'  
'I was not sure about Kagome, she is Kikyo's reincarnation true but because she did not know about any of this she was able to have a healthy childhood, with friends and family. Her powers are like Kikyo's but from the beginning she showed more strength than my sister ever had. Her heart is more open and perhaps because of that she was able to come into her powers.'  
'I had suspicions that she was stronger than any of us could ever have predicted. It has been four years since she came through the Bone- Eaters Well. Four years and her powers still had not surfaced. I was beginning to think that I had been wrong and that that was the extent of her powers.'  
'From Shippo's description I was wrong and she is quite powerful. It seems that her powers had been growing, she just hadn't needed them until that night. The way her powers appeared is strange. It is almost like IT wanted her to be safe but didn't think she was ready to accept her full potential.' Kaede smiled slightly at the fact that Inuyasha's danger had been what had pushed her powers into awakening.'  
'I will have to hurry to teach her what I am able; sadly her powers surpass even my knowledge. I believe her powers don't just come from Midoriko and because of this most of the knowledge about her powers will have to come from within Kagome. I will gladly teach her what I can, but Im afraid she will have to find her true strength and powers on her own.'  
"...Kaede, Kaede..." Shippo was tugging at the hem of her pants and had apparently been at it for a while. Kaede was jerked out of her trailing thoughts, "Im sorry little one, what is it?" For such a small creature he sure kept her busier than demons ever could. Shippo dropped his hold on her and suddenly grew very interested with his feet; he shuffled nervously while Kaede waited patiently. The fox cub began to sniffle and Kaede knew what was bothering him. "She will be fine, Kagome just needs some rest," she told him kindly. Shippo looked up at her, his lower lip trembling, "really?" he asked in a small voice.  
"Kagome and the others will be o.k?" Shippo asked, his eyes growing big and shinny as he tried to keep the tears from overflowing. "Aye, I wouldn't lie to ye. Everybody should be fine, nothing has festered and their' fevers have gone down now" Kaede assured him. Knowing he needed to be held she let him climb onto her lap. Kaede held Shippo for a while. 'But that's not what I wanted to say.' thought Shippo.  
"Kaede?" Shippo whispered. "What is it child?"  
"I couldn't help Kagome" Shippo confessed to Kaede who had to strain to hear the barley audible confession. "I was supposed to protect her but. I couldn't. I failed. She got hurt because I was too scared.  
[FLASHBACK]: Kagome and Shippo were hiding behind the rocks Inuyasha had told her to stay behind. She was thinking where her arrows would do the most damage to the other side. Kagome trusted that Shippo would keep watch behind her; she knew that he was scared but there was no other way. She smiled gently, remembering his determination to protect her; the little fox cub was small but brave.  
Trusting that Shippo would let her know if danger was coming Kagome risked looking around the boulder, her bow and arrow ready. Shippo was trying his best to listen to see if anything was coming at them on his side. It never occurred to him to look up. Kagome was concentrating on her target when Shippo's body slammed into her back knocking her down. Kagome got up and picked up her small friend, making sure that he was ok.  
A snarl interrupted her administrations. Looking up Kagome let out a small whimper before she could stop herself. A big bird demon was hovering slightly above and in front of her; it had the body of a human from the waist up and the body of a bird of prey from the waist down. It carried with it the smell of old blood and unwashed human. Terror rapidly overcame her in waves. The bird demon was able to send fear roiling off of it onto its victims.  
"AAAAHHHHH!!!!!!" panicked Kagome screamed, her mind was empty except for the terror riding her. Cowering she scooted as far away as she could from the demon. It extended its claws and dived at her. As Kagome was scooting back her hand landed atop a small rock and her hand slipped causing her to fall onto the ground. It saved her from being eviscerated, instead the things claws raked across her arms and legs. Furious it dived for a second attack, Kagome (scared witless) waited for the finishing blow.  
  
A few minutes passed, she jumped when something touched her shoulder. "its ok now, your safe" kagome found herself starring into two golden orbs. "Inuyasha!" Kagome threw herself at him crying. [END FLASHBACK]  
Shippo was crying uncontrollably, his body quivering with the force of his sobbing. Kaede looked at him kindly, "Shippo, ye are still a child. Of course ye were scared. It is not your fault that Kagome got hurt, in fact ye are very strong compared to other fox cubs. Ye are in battles allot and ye have learned allot. This is another lesson ye must learn. Do not be sad, I am sure ye did your best and that nobody will hold it against ye". Shippo cried himself to sleep, with Kaede holding him gently.  
Kaede looked up at the sky between the trees and saw that it was close to three (A/N: something to do with the suns position). She slowly began to think over what Shippo had told her of the battle and Kagome's part in it. 'The jewel is almost complete, I know Kagome somehow managed to keep the shards from being scattered to the four winds after Naraku was destroyed...'  
'I am almost sure that she did not consciously decide to keep them from being scattered. So why didn't they? Perhaps her power acted on IT's own.  
'Never-the-less Kagome's power needs to be pulled back in; it lingers on her skin still. That is why no demon has come to steal the shards yet. They must sense her power, It is too strong not to leak all over the place, even some humans feel it. I must first teach her to hide her powers from others, I wonder how well she will be able to hide such tremendous power.'  
"Meow, pprrrr". Kaede was once again jerked from her thoughts at the sound of a loud purring. Shippo stirred and raised his tear-streaked face; Kaede flinched at Shippo's delighted squeal. "Kirara!!" Shippo quickly jumped off Kaede and ran to Kirara, a big goofy smile on his face. He hugged Kirara, laughing the way carefree way that only children can laugh when Kirara licked his face, his worry quickly disappearing at the reassuring sight of one of his friends up and well. "Ye see, the others will be up soon as well." Shippo happily ran off to play with Kirara.  
They sun had turned a glowing orange 'between consoling Shippo, learning what happened and my own thoughts the day had passed quickly' Kaede thought. She walked around looking for Shippo and Kirara for a while, having found them she ushered them back to the village. "You two have played for a long time, come, Kirara is still weak. Besides, we need to go and check on the others Shippo, Kaede Told them. Welcome back Kirara" Kaede added gently. **************************************************************************** * ok this one doesnt have much plot development but it does explain some things about Kagome and Kikyos powers. REVIEW to lwt me know what you think & what you want to see. 


	4. Surprises

OK this chapter is the continuation of the last one. I had to split it cuz it would of been wwwaaayyyy too long so. It's basically everybody waking up and discovering some surprises, so read on.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own him cuz if I did I wouldn't be writing this, Id be playing with him. **************************************************************************** *  
  
INDSIDE KAEDES:  
[The rice paper windows let in a small amount of Orange light, it was about an hour to sunset.]  
Kagome slowly awoke, she didn't want to wake up and leave the warmth that enveloped her. She winced slightly when she shifted, realizing that she was sore in places that she didn't know could be sore! 'MMmmm... Something smells good' thought Kagome. She simultaneously arched her spine and buried her nose deeper into that smell. Suddenly she stiffened, Kagome shifted again and felt a tight, muscular body underneath her. She slowly opened one eye, her other eye flew open to make sure that she wasn't hallucinating.  
Kagome was draped around Inuyasha. Her arm was thrown over his chest and her legs were tangled with his, not an inch of air was between their bodies. 'Oh. Kami!!! What am I doing here?!'  
Kagome quickly tried to get up but was stopped by Inuyasha's arm around her waist. 'If I didn't know any better I'd swear that his grip tightened! OOooo, let go already!!' Kagome thrashed around for a bit more, trying to put some space between them, but gave up when she noticed that the more she moved around the tighter Inuyasha held onto her. Her eye twited ans she realized that all that moving around had also tangled their legs together even further than they already were. Kagome had a soft blush on her cheeks from exertion and was breathing a little heavily due to all the physical activity after the trauma her body had just gone through.  
Dejectedly Kagome laid still, 'Feh' her eyes widened at that thought. 'Kami, he's rubbing off on me!' During all her struggling she didn't notice Inuyasha's ears moving with every sound, 'I cant believe he's still asleep!' she thought while looking at Inuyasha's peaceful face. As she lay there she finally noticed his ears, which were still moving around randomly to try and catch every sound made...  
'How kawaii!!!! They look so soft.' she smiled when she remembered the first time she had come to feudal Japan and found him pegged to the tree. She sighed softly. 'I shouldn't, he keeps saying that he doesn't like it.' "Humph" 'It would serve him right!' Kagome thought. Her eyes widened when Inuyasha's ears swiveled toward her voice.  
Feeling daring she decided to take a good look at his face. Kagome propped herself up and looked deeply at Inuyasha, her plan backfired as she lost herself in her exploration. As if in a trance her hand trailed to his face. She slowly traced eyelashes that most girls would envy 'why do guys always end up with the good eyelashes' Kagome pondered. She slowly traced the bridge or his nose, his cheekbones, and his lips. 'His lips are so soft.' Kagome remembered how soft they were and blushed slightly. 'They soften the harshness of his face a bit' she thought. 'He looks so different when he sleeps. He looks, happy! Is this the closest he comes to true happiness...' Kagome gasped at that thought.  
Inuyasha's ears turned sharply toward her at her gasp, distracting her and drawing Kagome's attention to them, 'I really do love his ears, they're so soft... like velvet' she was startled to find that she was petting his ears! Kagome jumped when Inuyasha suddenly started, of all things, purring! Kagome let out a soft giggle as she felt it resonate through his body and into hers. Kagome glanced at Inuyasha's face and smiled gently when she saw the closest thing to an actual smile on his lips. 'There's hope for him yet'  
She let her hand trail into his hair, gently raking her nails across his scalp. Inuyasha responded by purring louder. 'He likes it! Wait he likes it?' Surprised Kagome stopped her administrations, immediately Inuyasha bumped his head against her hand, demanding that she keep going.  
Hesitantly Kagome began petting him again, 'He really like this! Why would he lie, to me? Unless he doesn't like anybody but Kikyo touching him like this...' She lay there playing with his ears absently, her thoughts getting the best of her. She felt a hot prickling at the corner of her eyes at the harsh turn her thoughts had taken. She found her gaze had dropped to his face, then to his torso. What she saw made her gasp. She immediately sat up.  
Surprised that she could have moved that far away from Inuyasha she noticed that during her administrations Inuyasha had gradually relaxed and let his grip on her waist slacken. She searched his face then let her gaze return to his chest. 'He got this from Naraku, trying to protect me' her hand trailed to the wound at his shoulder, her fingers gently skimmed the edge of the bandage. "Inu.Yasha. Im sorry" Kagome whispered sadly as a tear slowly trailed down her cheek.  
A hand appeared at the edge of her vision and gently wiped away the tear. "Don't cry...please" Inuyasha said in a husky voice. Inuyasha had started to wake up when Kagome had started her exploration. All the noises she had made and her touch had woken him up in the sweetest way, he hadn't woken up like that since his mother. He had been relaxing, enjoying her touch. He was surprised when the saltiness of her tears reached his nose. When Kagome had sat up he had been unprepared and kept his eyes closed. At the sound of her voice his eyes had flown open. Seeing her look so sad, he had quickly sat up to comfort her, using his good arm to hold him-self up. Looking at her tenderly he locked eyes with her and asked her why she was crying.  
Kagome looked at Inuyasha, "Your hurt because of me. If I could have protected myself you wouldn't have been hurt" she told Inuyasha softly. His ears turned to hear her better, Inuyasha gently lowered and buried his face into her neck, his eyes gentle and caring, he breathed in her scent "it's not your fault, it Naraku's. Besides you can protect yourself and others too, or did you forget that technically you were the one that destroyed Naraku?" he chided gently hoping to make her see things clearly. Involuntarily Kagome shivered, his breath on her neck causing chills of the best kind to race up and down her spine.  
'I cant believe she blames herself, she is always putting others before herself and standing up to all kinds of demons, including me, all the time; that I forget that she is still very fragile. Her kind heart is her strength but it is also her weakness...'  
Inuyasha leaned in closer to her, Kagome still felt bad, and Inuyasha knew it. Dazed at their closeness Kagome drew her hand to his shoulder for support. Her eyes grew wide at the feel of Inuyasha's injury under her hand. "...But I still couldn't protect everybody." She breathed into Inuyasha's neck, causing him shiver slightly. Unaware of this Kagome slowly pulled back and looked at Inuyasha, she immediately became lost in the golden pools of his eyes. Kagome saw so many emotions swim beneath their depths so fast that she couldn't begin to interpret them. It was dizzying to watch.  
They were each drowning in the others eyes, Inuyasha slowly shifted, bringing his hand to her face to draw her closer. [Soft pink hearts float all around them] Their eyes shining softly, Kagome and Inuyasha they slowly closed their eyes and kissed. 'Mmm, Inuyasha tastes so good! Like bittersweet chocolate' thought Kagome. 'His lips are as soft as I remember...'  
'She smells so good, and I knew she wouldn't hurt me' thought Inuyasha. He had felt her hand on his injured shoulder. 'She could never hurt me.' ' They were so absorbed in their thoughts that they didn't notice the blue light coming from the hand Kagome had on Inuyasha's injured shoulder. They both felt a gentle tingle wash over them before they collapsed in each other's arms unconscious again, with Kagome safely wrapped in Inuyasha's arms.  
It was full dark when Kaede, with Shippo and Kirara asleep in her arms, went to go check up on everybody, what she saw brought her up short. Kaede smiled tenderly; 'How ye have done it child I do not know' she thought while looking at Inuyasha and Kagome. 'Ye have slowly but surely warmed his heart'. Slowly looking around she began to chuckle softly, sometime during the day Sango had managed to scoot over enough to end up with Miroku's arm draped cozily around her shoulders. Her own hand lay intertwined with his across her shoulder; they lay there looking cozy.  
Shaking her head Kaede gently took the sleeping Shippo and Kirara and gently tucked them into a basket to sleep, she then went to check everybody's dressings. When she got to Inuyasha and kagome she looked closely and gasped...  
  
THE NEXT DAY AROUND NOON:  
Inuyasha looked down at Kagome tenderly, slowly trailing a finger down cheek 'I could spend the rest of my life watching her sleep like this...' That slight touch woke Kagome, she blinked sleepily. Looking up at Inuyasha a slight blush raced across her cheeks, when she remembered where they where. "Morning" Inuyasha greeted her softly; he started to sit up with Kagome in his arms. "No, you shouldn't be getting up! Your still hurt" Kagome told him worriedly.  
Inuyasha smiled gently at her, Kagome looked at him nervously. She glanced sown to see if he had reopened any of his wounds and saw it. The bandages were gone, giving her a clear view. "W, wha, where are your band.ages. Where are your wounds?" She asked as she drew her hand across his chest, as if to make sure that he was real. Inuyasha chuckled softly, pride shinning in his eyes.  
"You healed us" he told her, "huh?" Kagome blinked stupidly for a couple of seconds, as the information slowly registered she quickly inspected her arms and saw that they were, healed! "How? I did this? How long have we been asleep? What happened" Inuyasha answered Kagome by kissing her gently. Kagome automatically responded, she wrapped her arms around Inuyasha's neck and Inuyasha pulled her onto his lap to deepen the kiss. They were like that for a while.  
They were interrupted by Sang clearing her throat pointedly. Kagome and Inuyasha pulled apart reluctantly, dazed they looked around and noticed Sango was awake. They jumped apart as if they had been burned. They started blushing a cute sunburned red.  
Sango was looking down to try and hide her grin, "Hey be glad that I was the one that caught you and not Miroku," she teased gently. "On the contrary my dear Sango, I knew what they were doing, my injuries just kept me from seeing them, but be assured that my hearing is undamaged. I could clearly hear the action from here," replied Miroku. Everybody sweat dropped, "spoke too soon" mumbled Sango.  
Kagome and Inuyasha were blushing fiercely. As they were looking at everything but each other, all three noticed that when Kagome had sat up the towel covering her bra had fallen off. Everybody froze, Sango tied her best to keep from laughing out loud but her body still shook with silent laughter.  
Curios Miroku started to turn his head to see why everybody was so quiet, Sango snapped out of it and did the only thing that came to mind. Sango quickly smacked him, effectively stopping him from seeing Kagome. Inuyasha and Kagome were now blushing so fiercely that their faces seemed to radiate heat like miniature suns. Kagome quickly pulled the sheet up to cover her breasts; she looked down at her lap mortified. Poor Inuyasha didn't know what to do, so he just sat there looking stubborn.  
All the humor died when Sango saw Inuyasha's healed chest. "In, Inuyasha. Umm, your wounds. Their gone" Sango managed to get out. Kagome, clutching the towel to her chest looked at him and then at herself. Startled she looked at Inuyasha again, remembering what he had said and her own discovery before they were distracted. "You said that I healed us, how?" Kagome asked.  
Inuyasha's embarrassment caused him to respond harshly, "Feh, how should I know? Do I look like a Miko? I just know that I woke up this morning and was healed. And since you're the only one with powers anywhere near that, well, you figure it out!" Inuyasha told her gruffly. Daunted because he felt everybody looking at him.  
Thinking back to the night before she remembered how gentle he had been. How soft his touch had been, so different from this Inuyasha. Then Kagome remembered, 'the kiss! We passed out in the middle of it. Before we did though there was a tingling coming from my arm, leading to my hand. Which was over Inuyasha's injury!'  
Inuyasha's nose twitched, 'Damn, I didn't mean for it to come out that way.' He was going to apologize when he noticed that he had a bundle of Kagome in his lap again. Blinking rapidly he registered what Kagome had been screeching, his poor ears were plastered to his skull at her squealing. "I did it! Me! I healed us! I remember, the tingling! Wow!" Resignedly, Inuyasha smiled softly and hugged her back. While Sango just stared at them with wide [0.0] eyes, thinking that they had finally lost it.  
Kaede and Shippo walked in with Kirara in the lead, they had heard them talking and had come to see how they were doing. Kirara ran over to Sango and affectionately rubbed against her hip. Sango slowly came back to herself and smiled at her cat, as she did she realkized that somebody else was rubbing her...THWACK!!! ( + +;;) "HENTAI!!" shouted Sango. Everybody else sweat dropped. Shippo (who was simultaneously hugging Kagome and rubbing his head against her stomach) resignedly muttered, "he never learns". Sango threw Miroku's arm off of her shoulders and slid farther away. Kaede commented softly "he should be up soon". Kagome and Inuyasha heard her and nodded darkly.  
Curiously Shippo sniffed Kagome and frowned when he realized that something was different, "Hey Kagome why do you smell kinda like Inuyasha?" he asked. Inuyasha and Kagome' blush came back with a vengeance, "Uuhh.." Kagome was saved from answering Kaede bringing then all some food " ye need the nourishment to heal quickly" she told them. Kagome and Inuyasha attacked the food like starving animals. Everybody sweat dropped, Shippo tried to grab a piece of meat and froze when Kagome growled at him!!! Sango's eye twitched and she hastily grabbed the fox cub.  
When Kagome and Inuyasha were done they looked up and saw everybody, except an unconscious Miroku, in a corner all huddled together and clearly frightened. '????' "What?" they both asked confused. "Nothing, nothing at all." Everybody rushed back to their places and stared at their now empty plates. "They must have been starving after all the energy they both used up. Especially after last nights healing. " Kaede hastily told everybody.  
Kaede brought more food for everybody else, "Sango, ye and Miroku shall be up soon. Unfortunately ye shall have to be left here alone, unless ye would like to convince Shippo and Kirara to stay" Everybody (except Shippo of course) sweat dropped at the thought of a very bouncy Shippo in a small hut like this with nothing to do. Choosing the lesser of two evils Sango replied "No, that's all right. I am strong enough to deal with a inert Miroku"  
"Very well then. Kagome and Inuyasha we shall begin your training at once. Come with me please." Kaede told the two. "Wait, a minute you old hag! Kagome just woke up. She shouldn't be up yet! Do you WANT her to collapse again?!" a concerned Inuyasha yelled at Kaede. Everybody, except Miroku, turned and stared at him with wide eyes, amazed that he had made such a obviously caring statement out loud.  
Suddenly realizing what he had just said Inuyasha looked down at his hands, and started sifting some dirt, "umm, well, you know, I meant, uuuhhh..." Kagome looked at him strangely. While everybody else quietly snickered.  
"WHAT ARE YOU LAUGHING AT?!!!" Inuyasha demanded. "You!! Shippo told him. Inuyasha quickly got up and started chasing the poor fox cub. Shippo ran over to Kagome, "Help me Kagome, he's being mean!!" Kagome quickly scooped him up and told Inuyasha to "sit".  
"Looks like everything is back to normal" Sango told Kaede, who nodded sagely.  
  
**************************************************************************** * So, what do ya think? REVIEW and let me know!! ps. is Hojo older than kagome? By how much? Or are they in the same grade? I need some ideas, Kagome is going home soon and I have no idea what kinda trouble she should get into while she's there, what kind of powers should she have??? Hmmm... back top the drawing board. 


	5. Happy to be Back

Sorry that this one took so long guys, and cuz its so long. Also b/c of the last chapter I'm going to up the rating just incase in the next chapters, mainly because of language but there might be some more make-out scenes, not sure yet.  
  
Disclaimer: He's mine, all mine, MINE!!! *Does happy dance* I can play with him whenever I want now!!!. SMACK is woken up by said hanyou hitting authoress, effectively waking her up*. "Hey wench, wake up!!! Get me out of these chains!!!" Grumble, Grumble....*rubs her head* Ooo he's gonna get it, Grumble, Grumble, here's the story, read it while he gets punished . such a good dream too!... ^.^ ****************************************************************************  
  
HAPPY TO BE BACK  
  
It was early morning and Shippo was sitting under a tree, watching the bone-eaters well. He was waiting for Kagome to come back, 'I always miss her when she leaves, its been four days and she is still not back! I guess that because she stays with us longer now she has to be gone longer too.' He figured while listening to the birds early chatter, "I hope Inuyasha didn't do something to make Kagome stay away. He's always making her mad, stupid Inuyasha!"  
  
Poor Shippo didn't know that Inuyasha had been hiding in the same tree that Shippo was sitting under, waiting for Kagome too. Pissed Inuyasha jumped out of the tree and glared down at Shippo, his right eye twitching dangerously. His lip curled back to show some fang, "What did you say, you little runt?!" he growled. 'Oops' Shippo stood up and looked up at Inuyasha stubbornly, "Well you do, you always pick stupid fights with her. Either because you're two-timing her or because you're jealous!"  
  
"I am NOT jealous of that stupid wolf Kouga!" Inuyasha responded hotly. "Really, then how did you know I was talking about Kouga?" Shippo's eyes widened and he backed away slowly at the look in Inuyasha's eyes. "Wait till I get my hands on you!" Shippo started running, but couldn't help poking at him, 'It's too easy!' "Yeha, ignore the two-timing comment, jerk!" Shippo shot back, running away from Inuyasha as he chased him out of the forest toward the well.  
  
'What is all that racket?' Kagome thought from the bottom of the well, having just crossed over. She cautiously poked her head over the rim so as not to attract attention in case there was some kind of battle going on outside. She found two blurs running circles around the well. 'Are those Shippo and Inuyasha's voices???' Kagome concentrated on what they were saying; "JERK", "RUNT", "PSYCHO", "BRAT", "MIROKU IN TRAINING"...  
  
Sputtering at his last comment Inuyasha finally grabbed Shippo, "Got you little pest! Who's the baka now?" Inuyasha smiled evilly. They were both surprised to hear Kagome clear her throat and her almighty, "sit, boy!" Inuyasha promptly fell on his face and dropped a very happy Shippo in a cloud of dust to greet Kagome.  
  
"Your back, I missed you!!" he greeted her his face in convulsions from the dust. He gave a huge sneeze and threw himself at her neck in a miniature bear hug with such force that she fall back down the well. Laughing Kagome hugged him back, happy to have been missed and be back. "What did you do that for? I had him!" the subduing spell had worn off and Inuyasha was furious. "Well that's what you get for picking on little kids" Kagome responded from the bottom of the well, "Feh!" was his only reply. Still, Inuyasha jumped down the well and carried them both out of the well. They all made their way to the village, both guys content to be with Kagome.  
  
When they got there they all went inside Kaede's hut, where they found Sango, Kirara and Miroku talking with Kaede. "Hey guys, what's up?" Kagome inquired. "Ah, welcome back lady Kagome, Inuyasha we were just talking about what to do next. Lady Kaede is you please..." Miroku answered from the futon on the floor where he was currently getting his wounds checked again. 'His wounds were the worst because he's a human and they were so deep. He's healing nicely though, at least he's walking around now.' Shippo thought optimistically.  
  
As Kaede dressed Miroku's wounds from his seat on the ground Sango filled them in, "Kagome we were discussing Miroku's wind tunnel. It seems that it hasn't disappeared yet; it has merely shrunk. It is almost like Naraku's presence is reluctant to let go, but is slowly loosing the battle to stay in this world. We were just discussing if that is what we must do after we are all healed and you are fully trained Kagome." Kagome froze, something felt odd about that comment, 'It's almost like a memory that doesn't exist is trying to form.' but she shrugged it of to paranoia.  
  
Inuyasha stepped closer to Kagome's side and looked at Miroku's wounds, "Feh, you guys are still weak and Kagome is still in the beginning of her training. We'll go looking for the answers in a couple of weeks, after you guys are healed and kagome is better trained." He told them all firmly, and then sat down and began looking for some Ramen in Kagome's back pack, clearly ending the conversation. Everybody accepted his decision; Kagome looked down at the top of his bent head (intent in his search for Ramen) and smiled warmly. 'He really has changed these last few years.'  
  
"I hope ye practiced during the days ye were gone Kagome. We are moving fast but ye still need to get accustomed to the pace and the power running though ye, that is the purpose of drawing the power back into ye. So that that, like the healing ye did, your power doesn't escape ye like that and drain ye again. However much ye might want to help, ye need to bend the power to your own limitations. Not the other way around." Kaede mentioned to Kagome, effectively drawing her out of her Inuyasha-gazing. "Hai, I made sure to practice everyday after school, it was kind of relaxing. I think I improved a bit while I was away," she confirmed, a bit red." You mean you got better in just a couple of days?" Sango asked curiously. "Aye, Kagome's powers are strong, if she continues to practice she shall continue to improve rapidly. Today we shall go and test her progress, I believe that we shall move on today to a new lesson." Kaede confirmed.  
  
"Sango will ye finish tending to Miroku? I need to get things ready for today." "Hai, don't worry about your things Kagome. I'll set everything up while your gone." Sango offered. "Arigato Sango, are you sure that you don't want to come?" Kagome asked. "Yes lady Sango, I am able to get up now so feel free to go and have some fun." Miroku told Sango, hoping that she would see it as him being a gentleman. 'I have been very good and touched no woman since our time at the mountain, except her of course. I must show her that I can be as good as any prince,' he thought, remembering the prince who had almost taken her from him forever.  
  
'Is he tired of being in here all the time with the same woman for so long? Perhaps he is bored after so long' Sango thought sadly, "Hai, I'll set take care of everything here and join you guys for lunch in the field" she responded. Determined to not make a nuisance of herself on someone who clearly did not want her, no matter how much she loved him.  
  
Inuyasha' ears turned toward Sango' voice, 'Her voice changed, I wonder what happened just now.' He and Shippo decided to tag along; they had both missed Kagome and wanted to be with her. They all made their way to a field far enough from the village where Kagome began her training with Kaede while Shippo and Inuyasha watched from their perch on a nearby rock. 'Kagome has gotten really strong.' Shippo thought proudly. As he watched Kagome his fur started to stand on end, he almost panicked but then the feeling went away as soon as it had come. "Very good Kagome, now Inuyasha, Shippo did ye see or fell anything?" Kaede asked.  
  
"I didn't really see anything just now, but I did feel something really powerful pass through. It disappeared quickly though." Shippo answered, "Good, and ye Inuyasha?" "I saw her power gather on her skin, flare, and then gradually disappear back into her," Inuyasha answered. "Interesting, ye can actually see her power. This should prove useful later. Kagome ye seem to have mastered drawing ye's power in so that it is undetectable and Inuyasha can, amazingly, see ye do this. Ye are doing very well for somebody who has only been doing this a week. We shall go on to the next step in your training now."  
  
"We shall move on to shields, all ye have to do is..." Kaede began explaining what to do so Inuyasha and Shippo zoned out, happy just to watch. Frowning Inuyasha noticed that Kagome looked different, because she didn't have to rush off to school any more she had begun to bring other clothes with her besides her school uniform. 'Hmmm, I don't know if what she's wearing now is better or worse than what she was wearing before.' Inuyasha thought while watching her, Kagome was wearing some blue capri's and a matching top with some sneakers.  
  
'She shows less and more than before, those damn pants fit like a second skin!!! I hope that mutt Kouga doesn't decide to show up! Unconsciously Inuyasha started to growl at the thought of Kouga seeing Kagome in that! His ears twitched angrily and his eyes had a cold shine to them. Unaware of Inuyasha's thoughts Kagome and Kaede practiced all morning on shielding. Around noon Sango brought lunch and they took a break. By that time Kagome had managed to put up a very shaky shield.  
  
They all sat down to eat, "That's some power you have Kagome" Sango told her, "The entire village felt something a few hours ago, poor Miroku and Kirara almost had a heart attack when they felt you release your powers. You've gotten pretty good at hiding them and it looks like shielding wont be that hard for you."  
  
"I'm glad she's doing so well, now she wont be sad because she cant do much to help in the fighting like you and Inuyasha can. I hope you teach her things that she can use in battle, Kaede" Shippo commented his face specked with rice from his lunch. Kagome blushed and looked to her left where Shippo sat eating his food. Smiling softly she picked him up and put him in her lap. "You know it's been four years and you still look the same. I know you told me that your kind age one year to every five human years, but appearances can be deceiving. Your still a child, but even a child grows up some after all the things we have been through. You notice more things than we give you credit for don't you, I'm sorry that I underestimated you Shippo. Forgive me?" Kagome asked softly.  
  
Shippo hugged Kagome tightly "of course its ok Kagome, I only wish that I could help more." Kagome looked at him kindly "You help plenty Shippo, more than any of us realize I'll wager. What happened to me was not your fault, despite everything you are still a child," she told him gently. "She's right, baka. You are sharper than most fox demons your age and some that are older, because, of your travels with us. You're being ridiculous, blaming yourself for something that you cant change. Just learn from it and don't let it happen again." Inuyasha told him gruffly from his seat on Kagome's other side then went back to his food.  
  
Shippo looked at Inuyasha with big shinny, watery eyes; he leapt off of Kagome's lap and barreled himself at Inuyasha. Startled he looked down at the bundle of fur attached to his neck then at Kagome for help, Kagome just smiled at Kaede and Sango secretly. Disgusted Inuyasha resignedly hugged him back and waited for the humiliation to end.  
  
'Wow, Inuyasha has grown up a bit too. He's still rude and rash, it's good that he has friends now, he doesn't have to carry the weight of the world alone now." Kagome smiled tenderly at him while he was busy looking at the ball of fuzz on around his neck that was Shippo.  
  
This did not go unnoticed by Sango and Kaede; they both looked at each other and shared a certain knowing look. Finally Shippo disengaged himself from Inuyasha and everybody went on as if nothing had happened, knowing it was best that way. However Shippo did not go back to Kagome's other side, he seemed happy to be sitting between Inuyasha and Kagome, it just seemed the most natural place to be.  
  
When they were done Kaede and Kagome went back to their training, leaving the others to themselves, Inuyasha continued to watch while Shippo played with Sango for a bit. By the end of the day Kagome had put up several shields all over the place and was able to keep them all up easily. "Very good, Kagome. That is enough for today, tomorrow we shall go over everything again and start working on combing all your shields to make a larger one." Kaede told her.  
  
Everybody started to head back to the village, it was around dusk and Kagome was exhausted. When they got to the village they found Miroku with Kirara and a very helpful woman tending his wounds sitting outside. "Like this, Houshi sama?" the woman asked in a sultry, suggestive voice. Kagome winced at the thought of what Sango would do to Miroku this time, while Kaede and Shippo just shook their heads sadly. Sango quietly walked over to the woman and grabbed her hand; startled the woman looked up. Upset that she had been interrupted she started to say something but then saw the murderous look on Sango's face and left quickly without saying a word.  
  
Miroku was facing the wall and hadn't noticed anything. "My dear is something wrong?" Sango leaned in from behind him and whispered in his ear "Ssshhhh". Everybody sweat-dropped when they saw an evil smile play on her lips when she leaned back. She then finished dressing his wounds roughly, putting more than enough disinfectant on them and roughly bandaging them up. When she was done Miroku was gasping with pain practically in tears. The rest of the gang just stared at the scene with saucer-plate eyes.  
  
Inuyasha winced at the other mans pain and oncoming doom as Sango stepped into Miroku's line of vision. Still gasping he looked up to find a very pissed off Sango standing in front of him. She had a very sinister look in her eyes and her eye was twitching dangerously. "Hello lady Sango, may I ask why you acted as thus, just now?" he asked through gasps of breath. Everybody just backed away slowly as they saw that Sango was about to blow.  
  
[Sango's head was big and she had some fangs while her whole body was surrounded by fire, making her look like a demon straight out of hell] Everybody huddled together scared witless, poor Miroku was on his own. 'Gulp' "She's scary when she's mad" Shippo whispered to Kagome.  
  
"You lecher! Here I was worried about you and what do I find? You hitting on another woman!! Even when your hurt you still manage to be a jerk! You hentai!! How could you?!"  
  
"My dear lady, you are mistaken. I merely needed some help with my dressings and that kind woman offered her services while you were away..." Miroku stopped as he realized the double meaning to his words. The rest of the gang started to sneaked away slowly, trying not to draw Sango's attention. Knowing that it was dangerous to be in the line of fire.  
  
Looking around they saw that the entire village was empty; all the villagers had fled to the safety of their homes, dropping whatever they had been doing where they had stood. "Cowards" muttered Inuyasha, Sango turned and growled at him. A trembling Inuyasha quickly hid behind Kagome, his ears plastered to his skull, clearly scared of Sango's wrath. They all ran away into the village, hoping that some brave soul would let them in. **************************************************************************** * The layouts changed a bit so yall can read it easier, thank kikikimi for that, I tried to change it, we'll see if it takes once its posted. if its still hard to read let me know. Thanks to those of you who have reviewed, as for those of you that are being sneaky and reading but not reviewing, start! It helps. 


	6. Training and Kissing

Yay! Somebody reviewed. I'm sooooo happy-- im also a little hyper-- that means that I can post the next ch! (authoress is bouncing off the walls *family gives her weird/ annoyed looks*. Ok starting w/ this ch. the rating is R cuz of language and making out. I wasn't sure if I was going to fast for those two but hey, it's been four years, somethings gotta have happened--no? Besides I felt like throwing a little fluff about. Anywho, I didn't think it would be so hard to write fluff. I had to cut it short cuz I wrote allot about other stuff. That's why the end of this chapter is so [?abrupt?] You could say, my bad... %)  
  
Disclaimer: ummm, kinda stuck at the moment. He got loose- I knew I should have cut his nails! I'm tied up now, sooooo.... he kinda owns me. Not the other way around ... "your mine bitch!" see! o.~ *************************************************************************** Training and Kissing  
  
[THE NEXT MORNING]  
The early morning sky shone pastel pink, orange and yellow. The soft light woke Kagome; she opened her eyes and found herself in Inuyasha's arms deep in the Goshinboku tree. Smiling softly at last night's memories of how they had ended up there she snuggled a little deeper into his arms.  
  
[FLASHBACK] After running away from Sango they had found a friendly, if frightened, villager to let them into his home. Unfortunately he could not accommodate them all; he and his family were living sparingly as it was. They had decided among themselves that Kaede and Shippo should be the only ones to stay. Shippo was more than happy to stay; a little boy and girl lived in the hut. They were around Shippo's age and had become fast friends. So as not to overburden the kind family Kagome insisted that since it was summer, the night was perfectly warm, and they traveled around often enough, that they would be fine sleeping outside. [After the yelling died down of course]  
  
Inuyasha was happy enough to sleep in his favorite tree, however he was not happy to let Kagome sleep outside without Sango or Shippo there so after they had said their goodbyes and were walking to the Goshinboku debating where they should sleep Inuyasha let his imagination get the best of him. He had visions of demons taking her away or hurting her worried about her he acted. "Screw this! I'm not letting you sleep unprotected!" he scooped her up and leapt into the trees branches. He firmly planted her in his lap and wrapped his arms protectively around her waist, so that she wouldn't fall during the night.  
  
Around that time he noticed what he had done and blushed, "Umm, this is ok, isn't it? If you don't like sleeping in the tree we can figure something out. I just can't leave you alone, there are still plenty of demons out there and-" touched at his obvious concern Kagome snuggled into his neck "this is fine" she told him. "I always wondered what it was like to sleep in trees like this, when I was little I used to be a little monkey. I used to climb onto everything I could get away with, my parents would always have to look up to find me." Shocked at Kagome's actions and words Inuyasha had frozen, his eyes were big and round, blinking repeatedly he registered what she had said and relaxed.  
  
His eyes softened at her story; picturing her as a child-monkey climbing all over things amused him. "It was fun but I guess I grew out of it. I had forgotten how much fun it was to be able to look down and see for what seemed like miles," she went on with Inuyasha listening intently. Her breath against his neck making him shiver slightly, entranced by her voice he pushed the feeling aside and enjoyed listening to her tell him about her childhood. She told him about when she had broken her arm and her father had taught her to sing and dance. She told him about when went to her first bachlorette party and when she accidentally drove her moms car into a post, Kagome fell asleep explaining what a bachlorette party was. Inuyasha watched her sleep for a while but eventually her scent and warmth enveloped him, resting his head on top of hers in sleep, sleep dragged him under. It seemed the most natural thing to do, sleeping in each other's arms. [END FLASHBACK]  
  
Still smiling Kagome sat up and looked around, seeing that the villagers would be up soon she turned back to Inuyasha. Looking at him she noticed that his ears were twitching, trying to catch every sound around. 'I love his ears, maybe I could...' She stealthily reached a hand to his ears and was about to touch them when he opened his eyes.  
  
At Kagome's slight movement Inuyasha had woken up too, happy to have her in his arms he had remained still. But when she had stopped moving he had gotten curious and finally opened his eyes to see what she was up too, "morning" he said shyly. Kagome blushed slightly and quickly withdrew her hand, hoping that her hadn't noticed. "Morning" she said innocently, Inuyasha smiled wickedly. He knew exactly what she had been doing, "we should get up, everybody will be getting up soon" Kagome told him quickly.  
  
"In minute" he told her before he pulled her closer into his arms, choosing to let it go. 'For now...' "Hai" Kagome replied, she relaxed and molded her body perfectly to his. When they heard the stirrings of life in the village they reluctantly woke from their doze and pulled apart, sighing regretfully Inuyasha gathered Kagome firmly into his arms and leapt back down to the ground. He set her on her feet slowly, not wanting to let her out of his arms. Kagome had her hands on his shoulders for support, when she looked up she saw how close their faces were. They looked at each other shyly before Kagome leaned in and kissed him and then just as quickly walked off toward the village, leaving a very happy and confused Inuyasha in her wake. 'Wow, I cant believe I just did that! It was fun though; I can kinda see why Shippo loves teasing him so much. Its fun to thrown him off kilter like that!' She thought smiling happily. She had the village in sight before Inuyasha managed to catch up with her.  
  
When they got there they found an angelic looking Sango sleeping inside and a very beat up Miroku curled up on the huts steps. Inuyasha looked at Miroku and shook his head, *Sigh* "He never learns." Kagome squeezed his hand in response before she darted inside to bring out her things so they could have some breakfast. Kaede came over with Shippo as they were cleaning up, Shippo immediately jumped onto Kagome and then Inuyasha. "Come, we shall leave those two to handle their differences alone. Kagome ye need to start the exercises I showed ye yesterday, we shall go back to the clearing to practice again." She whispered to them.  
  
So they all made their way to the field where Kagome began practicing again. Once again Inuyasha and Shippo were left to watch. After a while Shippo finally truly woke up and kept shooting weird glances at Inuyasha. Tired of him starting to say something, only to turn away again and again, Inuyasha finally spoke "Will you spit it out already, you look like a damn fish doing that!!" he said irritably. "Umm, Inuyasha? Kagome brought me one of her brothers 'vedeoh' games, you want to play?" Shippo asked him shyly. Startled at his request Inuyasha just stared at his bent head.  
  
'What the fuck? Why would he want to play, with me? What is he up too? Nothing I can't handle! ... As long as he doesn't call in Kagome. What the hell, it couldn't hurt, I play with Souta all the time when I go to kagome's time, this cant be any different...' "Sure kid, lets see it then" Inuyasha told him gruffly. Shippo was ecstatic, his eyes got big and shiny and his face split into a huge grin. "OK!! You play like this..." they played against one another all afternoon, until they were interrupted by Kagome's triumphant scream a couple of hours later.  
  
"I did it!" She cried, jumping up and down. "Yes ye did very well, I believe that is enough for today. Ye have made significant progress, we shall meet here at the same time tomorrow." Rubbing his ears Inuyasha walked over to Kagome, with Shippo on his shoulder. "So what now?" he asked. "Well I think ill go and find Sango, I need a bath and she probably needs to talk or at least some company."  
  
They all started walking back toward the village, "I've been meaning to ask you Kaede, why is it that while we were recovering in your hut none of us noticed my powers? I mean everybody should have noticed something to some degree, right?" Kagome asked Kaede. "Yeha, I've been thinking about that too, her powers should have been very noticeable since they were all over the place." Inuyasha added.  
  
"I put some scrolls around the village and Inuyasha forest so I could hide the presence of Kagome's power. Outside of this area nobody should feel your aura. Now that you are able to hide and control your powers, the scrolls are no longer needed. But if another demon were to get wind of your strength, we would all be in trouble. It would be like the Shikon jewel all over again. Because of the scrolls dampening spells, the tremendous draining all of you had had and the fact that you didn't know what you were looking for, all kept you from sensing anything until later." Kaede explained.  
  
"Oh." they chorused as they reached the village, Kagome went to find Sango to take her bath but Inuyasha stopped her. "Are you sure its safe to approach her right now? I mean she was really pissed off last night," he asked looking pointedly at Miroku's broken form outside Kaede's hut. Without realizing it he had let his hand trail from her shoulder, down her arm and twined their finders together, "Ill be fine, she should have cooled off by now." Kagome assured, squeezing his hand reasuredly. 'He's so sweet, he worried about me!' she then ran into the hut to get her supplies. Then she went looking for Sango to take their bath, they came back about an hour later, around three. "Perfect, I can study for a while before dinner." Kagome quickly got her things out and made herself comfortable underneath a tree for a couple of hours of studying.  
  
~~~~~ Inuyasha was watching her from his perch on a nearby tree, 'she's been at it for almost four hours!' Concerned he went of to get something for her, "Here, you need to eat, don't tell me that all that practicing you do doesn't make you weak or even hungry." Inuyasha told her. Looking up at his stubborn face she was about to refuse but saw the concern in his golden eyes.  
  
"Arigato" Kagome said while smiling gratefully at him. Taking the food she pushed her things aside to make room for him to sit down next to her. She ate her food eagerly, while Inuyasha looked through her papers. 'Damn but this stuff makes me cross-eyed. Feh, some of this stuff isn't even accurate! (He was looking at her history book) But it seems so important to her...' he glanced at her drawn face, 'Just a couple of hours doing this shitt and she looks worse than when she spends a whole day training!'  
  
'She's had enough of this.' Decided, Inuyasha put her things neatly into her bag. When she started to protest he stopped. He didn't want her mad at him, but one look at her tired face and his resolve returned, "You've studied enough. I saw you go through three different books, that's good enough for today. You have all month to finish, take things slow, so you don't burn yourself out so quickly that way." he told her firmly.  
  
Kagome smiled at his concern, 'He's right. I finished three papers and a small chunk of my math homework, that's good for one day of work. I still have a ton of work left but if I keep up like this I'll be too tired to train...' "Arigato, Inuyasha" she whispered. His ears turned to hear what she said better and perked right back up when he heard her. Happy that she wasn't mad at him Inuyasha relaxed and waited for her to finish. She went through four bowls of stew before she was anywhere near full! 'Damn! For a girl she can eat!!'  
  
"Come on..." Inuyasha stood and pulled Kagome to her feet, he picked her up and jumped into the trees braches to relax with her. Sitting in a particularly comfy branch Inuyasha enjoyed the feel of her in his arms, feeling her relax he began to talk to her. "So tell me, how do you do it? I know that this school thing is important to you but how do you keep up? You only go back home once a month now, so you're gone allot more. Doesn't it get burdensome?" he asked softly, afraid to ruin the moment. He had one arm around Kagome's shoulders and began to run his hand up and down her bare arm anxiously.  
  
Surprised that Inuyasha had noticed she told him, "Well, grandpa was running out of excuses, my mon was worried about my grades and I couldn't keep going back so often. So my mom and I talked it over and we came up with a solution. We talked to the principal [A/N: I have no idea how the Japanese school system works so I'm basing it on mine] and told her that because of my 'illness' I wouldn't be able to attend school very often, however I didn't want to dropout. She was very understanding and we worked out a kind of home-schooling thing with her and all my sensei's, this was at the end of my freshman year."  
  
Kagome interrupted her story to explain what home-schooling was to Inuyasha, "We get lesson plans at the beginning of the month and sometime in the next couple of weeks I go in to take all the tests needed to keep up. It's the perfect plan, since it's a kind of home schooling I can study wherever and absences aren't a problem. But because I go in to take the tests they are able to keep an eye on my progress and I can still see all my friends." *yawn* Kagome put her head on Inuyasha's shoulder and cuddled up against him.  
  
Inuyasha's ears perked up at this; pleased he held her closer and drew his other arm around her waist to rub the small of her back. "Seems like allot to keep track of, you make it seem so easy. I saw some of the things that you study and it gave me a headache, especially the one with all the numbers. So... how is it going?" Inuyasha asked, definitely interested. "Well I've been doing allot better, my grades have gone back up, in fact I'm back at the top of my class. So I guess it's been great, I can stay here longer and since things are always so hectic I am able to have a more flexible schedule with my schoolwork. I think I study more now than I would if id of stayed at school full time, sure it's harder but it's also helped put me at the top."  
  
She looked up so she could look at him when she told him her news, "In fact when I went back last week my mom told me that she got a couple of letters from colleges looking into accepting me, with a full scholarship!" she beamed at Inuyasha, clearly happy. He couldn't help but smile back proudly at her. She had told him all about school, college and jobs before and he was pretty impressed with her determination to stay in school [A/N: I know corny as hell but oh well] despite everything. Happy Kagome nuzzled Inuyasha's neck, inhaling his scent made her a bit giddy, without realizing it she started rubbing his chest with one hand while the other trailed to his ears.  
  
Kagome was enjoying herself when Inuyasha leaned into her ear to whisper something, "You know its not fair that your able to grope and tease me, while I'm stuck being the gentleman," he told her huskily. Kagome froze, she hadn't realized what she was doing or how it would effect him. She started to pull away but was stopped by his arm tightening around her and his voice, "Hey I didn't say you had to stop." Kagome laughed at this, 'Hmm, typical guy. But. since he said it was ok. Might as well.' Kagome smiled wickedly as Inuyasha turned and kissed her deeply, they made out for a while before Inuyasha pulled away. Looking into her half closed, smoky eyes he smiled, proud that he had put that look on her face. He pulled her to his chest with shaking hands and waited a minute so they could calm down.  
  
It was a while before their hearts stopped pounding and their breathing returned to normal. Inuyasha held Kagome tightly, but he gradually relaxed enough to casually hold her. He started to smooth her hair, enjoying the softness. Touching her seemed to calm him down enough so that he could talk to her again without swallowing his tongue.  
  
"I'm proud of you Kagome, I understand how much this means to you and I know that it hasn't been easy. Naraku's death just put more pressure on you to learn all you can about your Miko powers." Inuyasha told her, proud that his words were only slightly shaky and breathy. Kagome looked at him for a minute, 'I think that's the first time has ever said anything like that to me before...' She impulsively leaned in and kissed him briefly before settling onto his shoulder again. 'He started this whole thing, I wonder what's gotten into him. Whatever it is I hope it doesn't go away once the others show up,' Inuyasha smiled happily, they continued to talk softly until they fell asleep.  
  
Things went on like this for the rest of the week, Kagome trained during the day then studied for a while before Inuyasha came and pulled her away for some fun [A/N: not that kinda fun for you Miroku's out there!]. Sometimes they would go off alone, but more often than not they would play with the gang or even some of the village children. He wanted to make sure that Kagome was able to enjoy her time with everybody. He wanted her to enjoy her time there instead of just training or studying all the time. They ALL deserved it after the last four years thay had had.  
  
Inuyasha and Kagome made a habit of sleeping in the Goshinboku at night and talking quietly till they fell asleep. Two days later Kagome finally mastered her shields; she had shielded the entire village and Inuyasha forest! "Very good, now I want ye to go study while I stay here and monitor your progress." Happily Kagome ran off to tell Inuyasha.  
  
*************************************************************************** Ok I know that that was a sucky ending but if I kept going it would of been to long, so ill continue it on the next chapter!  
  
Ok so is the plot moving too slow? Hmm I keep coming up w/ new problem but no solutions to old ones. I promise that It'll all come together... eventually. There's just so much ground work to put down first, eventually Ill write out some of the problems, but between then and now more will pop up. REVIEW to let me know what you think!  
  
Ps. the italics and bold don't want to shown up once the story has been downloaded so special thoughts will be in caps *foreshadowing on future chapter* TTFN! 


	7. NEW DEVELOPMENTS

Oooooo, im so happy! I got 2 more reviews! yay! *Does a little happy dance* ok! So that means that another ch. is here, this one is kid of confusing but you'll see why Inu. is acting so weird in the next couple of chapters. Im trying to keep the characters as true to the originals as possible hence Inuyasha's contradicting feelings and thoughts, I tried to bring those out in this ch. sorry if im not as good as the original... hope ya like it!  
  
Disclaimer: "come back here!" authoress chases a certain hanyou around room. Stupid demon speed! "Ill never be yours wench!" *grrrr* 'its time to pull out my secret weapon: Ramen!!!' *************************************************************************** NEW DEVELOPMENTS  
  
"Kirara, will ye transform and attack Kagome's shield?" Kaede asked her after Kagome was gone. Obediently Kirara did as she was told, Kaede was happy to find that the firecat's attack simply went around Kagome's shield like water. "Very good Kirara, will ye do me one more favor and go get Sango for me?" Kirara happily went of to get her mistress; she came back a few minutes later with Sango in tow. "Sango will ye be so kind as to attack Kagome's shield." Confused but trusting that Kaede had her reasons she dutifully threw her Hiraikotsu at they shield but had to duck to avoid a braining when her boomerang came ricocheting back.  
  
"Thank you Sango, will ye do me the kindness of not telling anybody about this and getting Inuyasha next?" Kaede asked smiling happily. "What is all this about Kaede?" a puzzled Sango asked. "I will explain later, will ye please go and get Inuyasha?" a slightly smug Kaede asked her; resigned Sango went to get Inuyasha. 'She is being strangely mysterious.'  
  
~~~~~  
Inuyasha was outside sitting on a fence talking to Miroku and Shippo, his ears moved toward her at the sound of her arrival and perked up at the sight of her. "I did it! I put up a shield and am able to keep it up indefinitely!" she happily ran over to Inuyasha and hugged him with such force that she knocked him off the fence and onto his back. Miroku laughed at her enthusiasm, while Inuyasha lay in the dirt with Kagome in his arms.  
  
Sango walked in with Kirara, seeing them she started laughing too, feeling left out Shippo jumped into a Kagome and Inuyasha's pile.  
  
It quickly turned into a wrestling match; they ended up dragging Sango, Miroku and Kirara into it. Everybody lay on the ground sweaty and covered in dirt, exhausted. Laughing Kagome, Kirara and Sango went to the hot spring to bathe while Miroku, Shippo and Inuyasha went to a nearby stream. Sango quietly told Inuyasha Kaede's request before she left with Kagome.  
  
~~~~~  
"So, you and Sango made up?" Inuyasha asked Miroku as they were bathing. "Well yes, she finally calmed down and agreed to talk to me after seeing how you and Kagome had been acting. I was able to explain that I had not been doing anything with that village woman except getting help with my dressings, she of course saw the error of her attack on my person and not only forgave me but also apologized." Miroku told him, making it sound like Sango had come crawling back.  
  
"Feh! Well at least your not dead, after we saw how she left you we thought that was the end of ya!" Inuyasha confessed a little flustered that anybody had noticed a difference in their behavior toward one another. "So you just left me there to die!" Miroku demanded. "Well, we weren't about to get in Sango's way! She can be pretty damn scary when she's pissed!" Inuyasha replied defensively. "Umm, Inuyasha? How WERE you and Kagome acting?" a curious Shippo asked, Inuyasha and Miroku sweat dropped "...uuuhhh...."  
  
~~~~~  
"...So after seeing how well you and Inuyasha had been getting along I decided to give Miroku a chance and he told me that it was her that had gotten the wrong idea, he had honestly just been trying to get some help with his dressings. I swear Kagome, he almost cried, he was so desperate! So I thought about it and his hands HAD been in his lap when we came back, so I forgave him. I kind of felt bad that I had lost my temper and beat him up so badly that night, especially with his wounds still tender." Sango confessed to a very embarrassed and blushing Kagome, ".Kagome, are you ok?"  
  
"You, you noticed how Inuyasha and I were acting?" Kagome asked quietly, blushing slightly. "Well, yes. Its really sweet the way he keeps an eye on you when you study so that you don't over do it. He's even asked us a couple of times if we'd like to play a game with you guys. I can't remember the last time I had so much fun..." Sango told Kagome happily...  
  
~~~~~  
"Inuyasha how ARE you and Kagome ACTING?!" a livid Shippo asked while on Inuyasha's head. "I can't BELIEVE this! Nobody tells me anything! WHATS GOING ON?!!!" the little fox demon asked while jumping up and down furiously on Inuyasha's head. *sigh* Miroku answered for the flustered hanyou. "Well Shippo, Inuyasha has been acting very 'friendly' toward Kagome..." Shippo looked at him, his tiny hands on Inuyasha's eyebrows as he leaned eagerly toward the monk. Inuyasha just sat there with his nose in the air and his arms crossed, growling faintly....  
  
~~~~~  
"So where has he taken you all those time you guys disappear? What do you guys do?" Sango asked Kagome in a very Miroku kind of way. Kagome turned a little redder. "Well one time he took me to this cliff that had the most amazing view of the setting sun. It was like I could reach out and touch it, we just sat there and either talked or watched the view," she confessed. "And..." Sango urged her, "Umm another time he took me to a lake to swim in and we just played in the water until it was time for dinner."  
  
"Are you telling me that there has been no kissing or ANYTHING of the sort?!" Sango demanded. Kagome just turned redder, and started to slowly sink down into the water. "Well, yes, there has. When we watched the sun set, when he took me to go swimming-- there was allot of making out then, when we sit in the Goshinboku at night, and some other times too. Once he kissed me in front of the children, we gave them quite a show. They tease us mercilessly now." Kagome told her uneasily, now almost completely underwater so only her sunburned-red face showed.  
  
"So its true! I heard about that from one or two of the village children but I didn't believe it. Kagome maybe Inuyasha is ready to admit to at least liking you--" Sango told her friend, "He already has, if we were in my time we'd be going out. " Kagome told her happily. "So what's the problem Kagome?" Sango noticed that she wasn't as happy as she had expected her to be. Kagome blinked and thought it over, "Sango this has been the best couple of weeks ever! But Im not sure how long this will last..." she confessed.  
  
"Just enjoy it for now, she wont be back for a while. Things have changed, the next time she comes things WILL be different!"... "You should have told him a long time ago." Sango whispered gently. *Sigh* "I know... but I don't want to interfere. Your right though things are different now, IM different! Thanks Sango, I think I WILL enjoy what time we have and stop worrying!" Kagome finished self-righteously.  
  
~~~~~~  
"...I already knew all THAT stuff, I'm not blind Miroku! The entire VILLAGE knows, after the scene they gave to all those kids while they were playing I'm surprised the adults let them near their offspring!" Shippo announced, Inuyasha looked down causing Shippo to fall into the water from his precarious perch on Inuyasha's head. "HEY!" A sputtering Shippo exclaimed, "Are you telling me that everybody KNEW?!" Inuyasha growled.  
  
Miroku looked at him and smirked, "Yup, everybody knows, it's not that big a secret," he told him. "Its cute and I've never seen lady Kagome in such high spirits. In fact I bet that it shows in her training. Your a good man Inuyasha to be taking care of her the way you have been and to make her so happy, just be careful that you don't hurt her. Everybody loves her and it would not be good for you if you were to hurt her." Miroku advised, stunned Inuyasha just looked at him.  
  
"You mean that nobody cares that she is 'daeting' a half breed? They don't think that its horrible or evil?" Inuyasha asked softly. Confused Miroku just blinked, but before he could say anything Shippo jumped in. "Of COURSE not! Why would anybody care if your a hanyou?! Everybody is just happy that Kagome is happy and that you've stopped hurting her so much every time Kikyo decides she can just walk in and turn Kagome's life upside down. I mean it's bad ENOUGH that she keeps trying to kill her, you running off to see her just makes things WORSE!"  
  
Miroku sweat dropped, glaring at the fox cub he quickly covered his mouth, effectively shutting him up. Shippo remembered that he wasn't supposed to have said that last part. "Oops" his squeak was muffled by Miroku's hand over his mouth. Inuyasha looked at Miroku, "NANI?! Why has hasn't anybody told me about this?!" Miroku just looked at him sadly, his payback had blown up in his face, *sigh* lady Kagome told us not to tell you. She knows how much you love Kikyo and doesn't want to affect you in any way in your decision. Calm down Inuyasha Kikyo has not appeared for two months, about two weeks before we ran into Naraku was the last time she attacked Kagome..." Miroku told a stunned Inuyasha  
  
~~~~~  
After his bath Inuyasha went over to Kaede, "What is it?" he asked impatient to get back to his thoughts. "I need you to try and break Kagome's shield, I will explain later. Please, just do as I ask" Inuyasha stared at her for a bit, contemplating her motives before he silently turned and attacked Kagome's shield. Kaede was pleased that Inuyasha didn't even cause a ripple in her shield. "Very good Inuyasha, that is enough. Ye do not need to destroy the entire field to break Kagome's shield. Feel free to come up once Kagome finishes her studying," a very happy Kaede told him. "Feh! Stupid old hag." he muttered darkly, confused that even Tetsusaiga hadn't made even a dent in her shield Inuyasha went to go see what Kagome was up to. 'Kagome...'  
  
He suddenly stopped and turned back to Kaede, who waited for Inuyasha to make the first move. Openly pushing Inuyasha was something only Kagome could do. "Is it true, that everybody knows about me and Kagome?" he asked her quietly, his bangs hiding his face. Kaede looked at him thoughtfully before she answered, "Aye, Inuyasha. Everybody knows."  
  
"And nobody cares that I'm hanyou? That somebody like her is with a half breed. Like me?" he whispered, his voice pain ridden and soft. "Aye Inuyasha. Nobody cares about that, all they care about is Kagome's happiness. They are all happy because she is happy. Besides they all like ye, even the children. In fact the children in particular adore ye they are always talking about ye and envy Shippo because he is able to play with ye the most..." she told him gently.  
  
Inuyasha struggled with himself, visibly shaking as he thought it over. 'So everybody knows and their all happy with it. SHES happy with it. Maybe, maybe it would be ok if I told her. She might accept it...'  
  
Inuyasha looked up, his eyes shinning with a new hope. But it was ruined as he remembered what Shippo and Miroku had told him. "Is it true, about Kikyo? About Kikyo attacking Kagome?" he asked while looking Kaede straight in the eyes. She sighed heavily, "Aye, she only wished to keep things even with her and Kikyo. She did not want ye to hate my sister..." she told him heavily. Inuyasha smiled sadly, "thanks Kaede..." 'I have to fix this, I can't believe she would do something like that...no. That's a lie, I KNOW that she would do something along those lines...' Inuyasha slowly walked away toward the village, Kaede watched him go. 'Kami help those two, ye and the others have started the this, ye must finish it...'  
  
~~~~~  
After they all finished their baths and made their way back to the village, Kagome had gone over to the Goshinboku and began to study. Eventually Inuyasha made his way over to her; he froze when he saw what she had changed into (short-shorts and a tank top, no shoes). 'Damn it! Why does she have all these body baring clothes, does she WANT me to loose it?!' Getting himself under control he finally went and sat down with her. Kagome instantly moved into his side, he put his arm around her shoulders and they sat in a comfortable silence.  
  
Looking at her bent head studying he felt his heart melt, 'I love you,' he just sat there watching her. Almost as if he was trying to memorize every line of her face-- like he would never see her again. She studied some Math and History with him before he firmly closed her books and they decided that it was time they went back to Kaede. It was around noon that Kagome had put her shield up, it was now about six. Seeing where they were going everybody decided to accompany them, they were all curious about Kagome's new powers.  
  
"Very good kagome, your shield did not waver the entire day. Now, did ye feel anything while ye were away?" Kaede asked kagome once they arrived. "No, I was so busy that I forgot all about it, it was like white noise in my head, I knew it was there but I guess I tuned it out. But to answer your question, no, I didn't feel anything. Why?" Kagome inquired.  
  
"Because I had Sango, Kirara and Inuyasha try and break your shield to see how strong it was, none of them caused even a ripple. I want to try it again but this time with ye aware of what is going on." Kaede explained. "Why?" Kagome asked her, thoroughly confused. "Because, if ye can do that while ye are distracted, I want to see what ye can do when ye are concentrating....."  
  
*************************************************************************** I know I made Sango a little out of character but don't worry she will not do a full Miroku transformation. i just thought that there should be some girly gossip between them. Sango will get the same treatment later ^.~  
  
REVIEW to let me know what you think. 


	8. THE PAST AND THE PRESENT

Ok guys. Im trying to keep this as true to the original as possible, but I haven't read any of the magna, the only ep/s iv seen is those that they've aired on adult swim and whatever summaries iv read about the eps and movies. Iv heard that theirs a 3rd movie w/ Inuyasha's father in it. But since the 3rd one is new there hasn't been any real details about the plot. So I have no idea how his daddy really died, if it was around the time I put it or not. So what I don't know I make up, sorry. Iv been having real trouble with Sango, Kaede, Fluffy and Rin's characters. So if they seem out of character--GOMEN!!!  
  
Ok this chapter is gonna get a little mushy, it focuses on Kagome and Inuyasha's past. And some more making-out! It also starts to bring everything into play, questions wont be answered for another couple of chapters. again, sorry!  
  
Disclaimer: "who owns you, come on.... sayyy iiittt" *suthoress wafts ramen auroma at a drooling and mesmerized inuyasha* "say it, u know u want to!" *inuyasha vigerously nods "you! You own me! You you you! can I have the ramen NOW? PLEASE!!!!!" "Good boy!" * authoress gives ramen to a estatic Inuyasha.... ************************************************************************* THE PAST AND THE PRESENT  
  
Kagome mastered her shields soon after--they were indestructible. That same day Kaede moved her on to sensing things; it would be very helpful if demons chose to attack. Demon or human, once she had the feel of it she could spread her power like the wind to sense if they were near. Kagome was almost as good as a demon at this.  
  
She took it one step farther and was able to use her power as a type of homing device, she might not have been able to pick up everybody's different scent like a true demon but their individual auras worked the same way for her. She was rapidly mastering this skill as well, if not faster, than she had shielding. She was able to train and study while steadily growing closer to Inuyasha; they talked about everything in their nightly talks.  
  
Once Kagome let her curiosity get the better of her and asked him about his mother...  
  
~~~~~  
As they sat in the Goshinboku she felt him tense around her, 'I should tell her, there's no reason why I shouldn't...' she didn't want to ruin the moment so she was about to apologize, "I--" Inuyasha began to tell Kagome before she could apologize. "The time I was able to spend with my mother are the best and most painful to remember, those times were---warm. I was never scared or lonely. Nobody existed but my mother and me. I remember small details about her: they way her hair shone, how she used to smell, her laughter.... She used to sing when she worked in her garden, she loved to dance and knew the best dirty jokes. She was full of contradicting habits, she was a gentle person but her hands were calloused. She had the softest voice but loved to shout..." Kagome felt him relax around her as he talked about his mother.  
  
"She couldn't sit still, she always had to be doing something. She never could keep her hands still; she even used them when she talked. It drove her mad when the servants tried to make her a lady, or at least a better version of a human suitable for my father. I remember that she would sneak out and play in the mud with me, or dance in the rain. I remember thinking that she was a force of nature, the way she danced in the pouring rain made her seem more like a sprite than a human. She was an odd woman, but she knew how to enjoy life and she somehow managed to pass that on to others. She always knew how to make things fun--- it was her gift." Kagome heard something in his voice; she looked up at Inuyasha and saw the love and awe he had for his mother shinning in his eyes.  
  
"Even house chores weren't boring with her, I remember one time she started playing with some bread dough. We began to throw it back and forth and got flour everywhere, we were laughing hysterically when we were done. And even though we had a mess in the kitchen, were covered in flour and dough, and the servants were furious with us... it was ok. She made everything ok..." As Inuyasha told Kagome she could see his mother in his eyes. 'It's like watching a movie of his memories, I can see them playing catch with the bread dough!/ He looks so cute covered in mud...and he's laughing!/ She's dancing in the rain as if in a trance to music only she could hear with Inuyasha in her arms laughing happily...' Kagome smoothed his bangs out of his eyes and let the moonlight illuminate his face.  
  
Inuyasha played with her hair distractedly and nervously ran his hands up and down her bare arms as he told her about his past. When Kagome realized what he was doing she looked at him closely.  
  
She saw him remembering the past, his eyes shining brightly, and smiled softly. 'He was loved, for that brief time he had with his mother...he was loved. After whatever happened, for some reason he felt that he had to be alone. So he has been alone. Until now...' Kagome wrapped her arms around Inuyasha and let him know that he was still loved. Inuyasha snapped out of the past and looked at the woman holding him, showing him without words that he mattered and was loved now too. His face softened and his eyes took on a different shine, shinning with another kind of love. Understanding her gesture he buried his face into her neck and enjoyed just being with her.  
  
Inuyasha let Kagome hold him until he fell asleep with her scent and warmth surrounding him as sleep took him under. The next day they had to get up early again so Kagome could train some more.  
  
~~~~~  
Later that day as Kagome was studying Inuyasha came and sat down next to her, Kagome automatically leaned into him and continued to study, 'Feh! She needs to have some fun, I already talked to everybody and they said it was ok. I just hope she likes it and doesn't get mad that I told Sango she could have the one piece. She needs it more, seeing as how Miroku is going to be there...' Inuyasha smiled anxiously at Kagome's bent head, 'she needs this.' Inuyasha waited until she was finished writing and then firmly started to put her things away.  
  
"Come on! You've had enough, you can work on it again tomorrow." Inuyasha told her as he pulled her to her feet. "Why are you so anxious?" Kagome asked confused at his strange behavior. "Were going to go swimming in a nearby pond, everybody's already there. I know that you have those 'swimming-pools' back home so I thought we could have one here too..." he finished the end of his sentence in a meek voice. Kagome smiled at his effort and then blushed remembering the last time they had gone swimming. "Hai lets go!" Inuyasha visibly relaxed when he saw that she wasn't mad.  
  
When they reached the pond and kagome saw what was left for her to wear and sweat-dropped. 'I really shouldn't have brought this bikini, but my other ones were all too small. Well at least there's not too many people to see me in it' Kagome told herself when she saw what she had to wear. As she came out she saw the look Inuyasha sent her and froze. 'Crap'  
  
He had been playing with Shippo, throwing into the air and catching him. When she came out he had dropped the poor kid into the water, "Hey! Do that again! Its fun!" oblivious Shippo begged a drooling Inuyasha. His voice snapped him out of it; Inuyasha tore his gaze off kagome and resignedly picked up the fox cub and threw him into the air. Once his eyes left Kagome she was able to breath and move again, 'Wow, I need to be careful or things could start moving too fast--' her train of thought stopped along with the rest of her brain-required activities as a soaking wet Inuyasha stood up to better throw Shippo. 'It's a sin to look that good shirtless and wet. Crap, were both doomed if things keep going like this!'  
  
Sango and Miroku looked at each other, knowing full well what was wrong. "Their goners" Sango whispered conspiratorly [A/N: is that even a word??] to Miroku, he only nodded in response and sighed miserably. 'Why couldn't Sango have put on that one? Although, Kagome does look wonderful in it...'  
  
Sango looked at him and knew his train of thought. "If Inuyasha sees how your looking at her you wont be able to see anything for weeks. Not to mention what she'll so to you" she whispered to him. Miroku sweat dropped, realizing how true her words were. And a bit nervous that she might had guessed his thoughts abiut her.  
  
They spent the rest of the day playing in the water. Shippo had the time of his life, Kagome and Inuyasha played with him all day while Sango and Miroku were able to relax in the water. His wounds were allot better, once others stopped beating him he healed very quickly.  
  
The occasional shouts of 'Henati' followed by the familiar *smack* as Miroku touched something he shouldn't have, were accompanied with shouts of laughter and splashing. After their day of swimming they all left the water a few shades darker than they had started and made their way to the village for dinner.  
  
~~~~~  
That night Inuyasha continued his story, "I think, that was the last time I laughed because the next morning my father died and that night was when the nightmare began, I was around ten in human years. The villagers were scared of us, they thought that I was an abomination and had to be 'put down'."  
  
"My mother did her best to try and befriend the villagers, she had been getting through to some of them but their fear of what me and my father were was too strong." Kagome looked at him and saw the pain in his face, 'This has affected him more than he lets on, I wish I could help...'  
  
"That night my mother saw them climbing the hill to our home with torches and knew that our time there was over [A/N: I'm making all this up by the way, I really have no clue what Inuyasha's past was like]. She tried to get us out but we were surrounded, they set the hut on fire. She saw my fathers' fire-rat clothes and put the jacket on, with me in her arms. I knew it would be all right as long as she held me, but then she saw that one of the beams was loose and she took the jacket off and bundled me in it. Telling me to stay there and not move no matter what"  
  
"I think I knew then that that would be the last time I saw her alive. She braved the fire to keep me from getting crushed and my fathers' fire-rat clothes kept me from being burned alive. I woke up a couple of days later in a pile of ruble and ash. She was gone and I was alone in the world..." the past swallowed up Inuyasha as he sat there with Kagome in the Goshinboku. He fought not to let the tears that always threatened to spill fall whenever he thought of his mother. He let his bangs hide his eyes in shame.  
  
Kagome understood all to clearly, she cupped her hand around Inuyasha's face and brought his face up to look at her properly. The moonlight illuminated the pain filled lines on his face, "Its ok to miss her." she told him, resting her forehead against his. "I miss my father too. It doesn't mean that your weak or broken, your mother was your world when you were a child. To have her suddenly taken away and left alone... especially under those circumstances. I wouldn't blame you if you never went near humans again. You are the strongest person I know, you help the very race that took your mother, it shows how strong you really are..."  
  
Inuyasha looked into her eyes and saw nothing but compassion, 'she really doesn't think I'm weak!' The look in her eyes broke down a wall inside him that had kept something unexplored there for too long, he let her hold him gently while he let loose a Pandora's box of bottled emotions. He buried his face in her neck, however much he trusted her, Inuyasha did not want her to see him like that.  
  
Kagome knew that Inuyasha needed some cheering up so she decided to try something that always worked with Souta and her when they were sad. She waited until Inuyasha stopped shaking, then she stealthily trailed a hand to his stomach and started tickling him. She wasn't sure if it would work but she tried it anyways. She noticed that his ears sort of froze for a second, then started curling in on themselves. It came as a shock to her when Inuyasha started, of all things, laughing! 'He's laughing! And it's not that horrible cynical laugh he always gives!'  
  
Encouraged Kagome kept tickling him, looking for new places to attack. Laughing uncontrollably Inuyasha started to tickle her too. They were both laughing so hard they were crying, unfortunately they forgot that they were up in a tree and that it was the middle of the night. Laughing and shrieking they continued their fight until they woke the entire village and fell out of the tree.  
  
Sango, Miroku, Shippo and Kirara had heard their shrieking and re- acquaintance with the ground. Thinking that there was some kind of battle going on outside they came running out of Kaede's hut in alarm. They were all startled to find Kagome on top of Inuyasha in a very compromising position. Miroku immediately covered Shippo's eyes. "This is not a sight for young eyes," he told the fox cub earnestly while Sango stared wide-eyed at Kagome and Inuyasha.  
  
Shippo was struggling in Miroku's hold when they all registered that they weren't hearing moans, they were hearing laughter! 'Inuyasha is laughing?' a very confused Sango thought. Sure enough Inuyasha and Kagome were still rolling with laughter. By then they had attracted quite a crowd, when they saw this they calmed down enough to get up of the floor. "Sorry" they chorused, "we were just um--" Kagome stopped, she didn't know how to explain what had been going on. Everybody continued to stare at the two.  
  
Finally Inuyasha had had enough, "What are you looking at? Go back to bed, all of you!" But the effect was ruined by the laughter in his voice. Silently and with as much dignity as he could muster, Inuyasha picked Kagome up and leaped into the Goshinboku. Leaving everybody blinking stupidly behind them.  
  
Embarrassed Kagome buried her face into Inuyasha's neck and pretended to sleep. Everybody eventually went to his or her beds. Shippo quietly snuck away from the others and joined Kagome and Inuyasha in the tree. He was lonely and missed Kagome and Inuyasha's warmth. "Can I stay with you guys tonight, it looks like fun and... I miss you guys. Please?" he looked at the two with such a hopeful expression that Kagome felt guilty for leaving him alone all those nights. "Of course, but you have to behave... both of you." Kagome warned, Inuyasha grudgingly agreed at the look in Kagome's eyes. 'Runts not SO bad...'  
  
"Didn't it hurt when you fell Kagome?" Shippo asked from her lap. "No, Inuyasha protected me, even though the fall was unexpected." "Oh, well aren't you scared that you'll fall again?" Kagome softly stroked his fur to soothe him; she knew that he was a little nervous. "No, I know that Inuyasha will keep me safe. He wont let me get hurt, its ok Shippo. You really are welcome to stay, now go to sleep." *yawn* "k!" he said snuggling deeper into Kagome's lap and fell promptly asleep.  
  
Kagome smiled fondly at the little fox cub, still stroking his fur. 'She would make a good mother' Inuyasha thought warmly. "How are you by the way, that was a long fall." Kagome asked looking at him, worried that he had gotten hurt. With laughter still shining in his eyes Inuyasha leaned in and kissed Kagome deeply before he answered her. "I'm fine, all those 'Sit's' have toughened me up, lets sleep before we wake Shippo" Inuyasha whispered huskily at her. 'Damn, but I've been wanting to do that all day. I don't think well be going swimming anytime soon if that what's she gonna wear! The damn one piece wasn't nearly so bad! To top it all off she changed into some more of those 'shorts' from her time. Danm things show more than that stupid skirt! Forgett about poor excuse for a shirt shes wearing! Argh, if Kouga shows up its gonna be hell to pay!'  
  
"Inuyasha be quiet, your growling will wake Shippo up!" Kagome scolded him, he hadnt noticed and quickly stopped. Kagome soon fell asleep, happy to be with him, while Inuyasha spent half the night steaming. But finally calmed down enough to doze for a while so he could enjoy the feel of her in his arms. He would forgett all about his jelousy come morning.  
  
~~~~~  
Kagome woke up early the next day to practice with Kaede and never failed to study for at least a couple of hours a day.  
  
She noticed that the villagers kept giving her and Inuyasha strange looks all day. "How odd, I wonder if we scared them last night." Kagome told Inuyasha as they as they took a break from their game with the others. "Feh! They shouldn't be poking their noses into other people's business anyways!" Inuyasha retorted. Kagome just smiled when she saw the blush that appeared on his face, "Come on you two! We aren't going to let you win!" Sango, Miroku and the village children urged them. Kagome and Inuyasha looked at each other and grinned, they eagerly joined in the game of soccer again.  
  
~~~~~  
That night Shippo fell asleep with Kirara after a long day of playing video games with Inuyasha while they waited for Kagome to finish her training and then the game they had played after she had finished 'studieing'. He collapsed in Kaede's hut exhausted, 'Kagome has they best games in her time, I wish I could go with her someday' he thought sleepily before he fell asleep. Kagome and Inuyasha were relaxing in the Goshinboku talking again, "I didn't know that you were so ticklish, Inuyasha." She told him quietly, while trying hard not to laugh. "Feh! My mom used to tickle me all the time when I was little-- where did you come up with that idea?"  
  
Kagome proudly told him, "My father! He used it on me all the time when I was Souta's age, whenever I was sad or he felt like being silly he would tickle me. I loved it, so I thought that it couldn't hurt to see if it you liked it too. You know, you have a good laugh. It's a shame that you don't share it more often" She told him gently.  
  
Inuyasha sighed, "I haven't felt like laughing for a long time. Thank you for that..." 'My love' he pulled her as close as he could "What ever happened to you're father?" Inuyasha asked. "Well, he used to be a chef. He died when I was really little, I think I was about Souta's age. It was strange really; he was at his restaurant when a fire broke out. The fire department says that there was no way he could have made it out alive, but they never found his body. It was one of those weird circumstances, they said that they intense heat just destroyed all traces of him. They couldn't find anything but ashes." Kagome told him quietly.  
  
"How odd that both of our parents died in a fire, with no traces of their bodies." Inuyasha commented. Kagome's eyes widened at his comment, "You know I never thought about it like that, but your right. In my time it's very rare to not be able to find the remains of a body even under those kinds of circumstances, I wonder if something else is going on..." "Don't worry about it Kagome, its probably just a coincidence. Tell me more about you father, please?" He was sorry that his ramblings had caused her distress.  
  
Kagome knew what he was thinking and decided to put it off for now and told him more about her past. "It was such a long time ago that I just remember bits and pieces of my father. Like the tickling, some games we used to play, the way he laughed, how he taught me to dance... I have some pictures of him in my room to help me remember him and my mother has some home-videos."  
  
"Don't you miss him?" Inuyasha asked, amazed at how her face lit up when she thought about her father, "He's always with me, every memory that I have of him helps keep him alive. It's the same with you're mother, I'm sure that if you pass on all the things your mother did she will never die. Just like my dad." Kagome told him, firmly believing every word she said.  
  
'How can she be so sure? She isn't sad about her father being gone... I don't have any 'Peaksurse' of my mother...' "I'm forgetting what she looks like" Inuyasha realized. Kagome heard him and ran her hand soothingly up and down his back. "Tell you what, next time I go to my time why don't you come with? Well go to an artist and have him draw her from your memories. Its just as good as a picture, what do you say?  
  
His ear's perked up, surprised that Kagome had understood his ramblings so well, he automatically agreed. Kagome continued to rub his back and before she knew it she fell asleep to the sound of his heart beating in her ear. Inuyasha let her touch comfort him, 'She understands me so well... I didn't even have to tell her what I was thinking, she just knew. She make me feel kinda like my mother did when I was little, except different.' Inuyasha frowned at his confusing thoughts. 'The tickling felt right too, but it was different from my mothers. Just because it was her...'  
  
Inuyasha looked at the sleeping woman in his arms and smiled proudly when he saw the mark he had left on her neck a couple of days ago still there. 'The moonlight makes her look even more beautiful and my mark still shines strong, even though it isn't a full bite. I'll ask her soon...' He gently trailed a hand to her neck, where a hickey peeked out from under her hair, causing an involuntary shiver to run through Kagome. Happy about his decision and her reaction Inuyasha fell asleep.  
  
~~~~~  
Kagome was having a weird dream, for some reason Inuyasha's voice kept whispering Kikyo's name, she was alone in a cold and dark place while Inuyasha walked toward Kikyo, never looking back.....  
  
**************************************************************************** * woo woo! Got more reviews AND my first flame! yay! ^______^ To that reviwer- - the words that were misspelled was intentional. They don't know how to pronounce the things from kags time! I thought it was pretty obvious, considering I out quotes on 'em! Also i run it by the schools spell check after each draft, so if that doesnt catch it i sure as hell wont. oh well best i can say is either deal with it or dont read it if its that big a deal. Ok, that's over...  
  
Alrighttyyyy then, MOVING on! I got a review telling me that my summary doesnt match the story. well thats becuse its still in the very beginning stages. It was originally supposed to be only 4 ch. and angst. but i found out that im not really good at angst, and then i got really wraped up in the story. So its really much longer than i originally thought it to be. But perhaps your right and i should change the summary... but i didnt want to give too much away. Seems im stuck, give me a shout out if you have any ideas!  
  
Mushy right? Well sorry to break it too you but the next chapter is going to be sad. I hope the plots moving fast enough for you guys, review to let me know!! 


	9. A BETRAYL

oopsie. I know I said that last chapter was the piece that will tie everything together but... what can I say, it doesn't. Ok so I lied and that last chapter just sorta left u guys hanging, my bad. I got wrapped up in it and I wanted to get it out before the week was over...  
  
alrighty then, moving on.. this chapter was surprisingly easy to finish. It just kinda wrote itself, I hope it came out good enough for u guys!  
  
oh and before I forget this chapter IS a sad one-- even though its only a preview-- but it also has some major fluff. I don't think its quite a lemon but its border lining-- I think. Anywho, if it bugs u can skip the flashback and that'll be that. u wont miss much except the part about the hickey which u guys can figure out. HOWEVER u should read the rest of the chapter since it does have the part of the jewel AND the cliffy.  
  
Disclaimer: my author note is long enough so... I don't own him, I don't even own a plushie! ************************************************************************* BETRAYAL  
  
Kagome was having a weird dream, for some reason Inuyasha's voice kept whispering Kikyo's name, she was alone in a cold and dark place while Inuyasha walked toward Kikyo, never looking back...  
  
Confused Kagome slowly woke up, she automatically curled deeper into his warmth but found only the rough bark of the Goshinboku against her skin. Even more confused she sat up and looked around expecting to find Inuyasha somewhere close by, but she couldn't find him anywhere. The soft, pastel, morning light did little to warm her as she sat alone in the trees branches when a terrible sense of foreboding washed over her like ice down her spine. She continued to look into the distance and the village, trying to find Inuyasha but could not find him.  
  
Worried, she stretched her powers over the village trying to sense him but still found no trace of him. However she did sense something else, 'That feels like...' her dream came roaring back to her. "No," a strong wind came and blew some of her hair away from her neck, exposing a hickey. As the wind brushed against it she shivered as a soft wave of pleasure fanned trough her. Too preoccupied to notice this strange behavior she concentrated more on that presence, "He wouldn't! Not after everything that has happened these last four years, especially these last couple of weeks..." she breathed.  
  
[FLASHBACK]: TO A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO "Those 'shorts' things your wearing now are allot better than the skirt you had before. You can move all you want without worrying about flashing somebody, while still showing off your legs. Smart person who thought up those things," a voice said from above her. Kagome grinned evilly "Sit" she said simply. Inuyasha came crashing down, but she clearly hadn't thought her actions through, because he landed on top of her roughly.  
  
"OOOooww, that hurts." Kagome complained; her voice was slightly muffled by Inuyasha's body. "Now you know what it feels like... Why didn't you just shield yourself?" Inuyasha asked looking down at her, he was bracing himself on his elbows and his face was really close. Kagome blushed, "I'm still not used to doing that automatically," she whispered.  
  
"Feh" was Inuyasha's only reply as he reluctantly got up, after helping her up he sat down besides her. He draped his arm across her shoulders as they sat leaning against the tree for support. Kagome looked up at the stars through the trees branches, content to let the comfortable silence draw out.  
  
After giving her a minute to relax and enjoy the silence Inuyasha finally stated what was on his mind, "So why did you leave the others? You never know what is hiding out here." 'He sounds concerned' thought Kagome. "Besides I did not keep you safe from Naraku and his evil just to loose you to a lesser demon" he said gruffly. 'He IS worried!'  
  
Kagome slid closer to Inuyasha and laid her head in his shoulder she closed her eyes and inhaling his scent, explained. "Gomen, I didn't mean to worry you. I just wanted to get away to think for a bit since I couldn't sleep." Inuyasha looked down at Kagome, his gaze softening. He gently wrapped his arms around her. "What was so important that you had to leave the protection of the village?" he asked interested.  
  
"I was just thinking about everything that's happened since the death of Naraku... Everything's been so hectic, though you've been a huge help with everything. I think I would have had a serious melt down if you hadn't been here to pull me away from all that training and studying to have some fun." Kagome blushed slightly at her next sentence, "I especially like the sleeping in the tree and talking... the trips are fun too."  
  
Inuyasha smiled, embarrassed that she had noticed his effort and proud that she enjoyed their time alone as much a he did. However her next words caught him off guard, "But, something has been bothering me for a while. I cant seem to figure it out though, its at the edge of my grasp. I feel that its important but the more I think about it the fuzzier it gets. Iv tried leaving it alone but a sense of urgency keeps tugging at me..." Kagome trailed off deep in thought.  
  
"Stop worrying so much about things that you cant control, the answer will come to you in time. Meanwhile you have plenty to worry about with school and training, you don't need something else added to the list. Leave it alone for a while, it'll come to you eventually." Inuyasha offered. He started rubbing her bare arm to try and soothe her. "I can't help it" Kagome replied. "Sure you can, I'll help..." Inuyasha lifted her face to look at him and leaned in to kiss her, hoping to distract her. Kagome immediately melted into the kiss, all worries and thoughts scattered. Unfortunately as Kagome tired to lean into Inuyasha some more they slipped and once more found themselves on the ground, this time with Kagome on top.  
  
Surprised Inuyasha broke the kiss and looked at her closely as if he was looking for something. Puzzled Kagome opened her eyes to see what was wrong, 'Everything's been so confusing lately, what with school and training and this feeling I keep having... He's changed over the last four years especially since the death of Naraku, he doesn't say nearly as many stupid things--- nearly. Its almost like he's had some kind of freedom he never had before since his death. He plays with Shippo and he's been so caring lately... '  
  
Inuyasha looked at the woman above him, the filtered moon and stars cast a soft silvery glow on her skin causing Kagome to look almost ethereal.  
  
The image of Inuyasha on the ground in the soft light coupled with the fire in his eyes took her breath away and had her heart hammering as she sat there mesmerized.  
  
Without realizing it his hand trailed from the small of her back all the way to the nape of her neck and he gently urge her back down to resume their kissing. Her thoughts scattered once more when Inuyasha broke from the kiss and turned to lick her neck, causing goose bumps all over her body. 'She liked that, maybe she'll like this too' thought Inuyasha, and he started sucking on her neck.  
  
His arms snaked around her waist and settled her in his lap, neither realized that since she was straddling him it put them in a very intimate position. Kagome gasped and tilted her head to give him better access to her neck, Inuyasha's ears twitched at the sounds she made. Smiling slightly he bit down on the hickey he had left while drawing his claws gently down her bare legs, pleased at the moan that it drew out of her. His ears moved to hear the sounds she made better.  
  
Kagome reached up and gabbed a fistful of Inuyasha's hair. 'She likes this! Maybe she would like it if I bit her properly.' He stiffened when she tugged at his hair, and started to play with his ears. He lost all train of thought at that moment. His hands slowly traveled up and down her back to her waist, down her hips, down the length of her thighs, to the back of her knees and up again until they rested on the hem of her very short shorts. Playing with the hem of them caused another shiver to race through Kagome.  
  
Encouraged Inuyasha let his hands trail to her curves, a feeling like a kind of euphoria overtook him, causing a soft groan to escape his lips still buried in her neck. Her hair covered his face, it surrounded him with her scent and drove him steadily closer to the edge.  
  
Everywhere that he touched left a tail of fire that urged her on even more, she returned the favor by running her nails through his scalp gently. She turned her head into the crook of his neck and bit down gently while sucking on the minor indention greedily. This caused Inuyasha to draw his breath in sharply and regain his composure.  
  
'She has no idea what she's doing! Fuck!' Inuyasha groaned at his choice of words, he concentrated as the muscles in his arms trembled and cramped at the battle of wills he was having with himself to keep from going too far so soon. He managed to prop her a few inches above him so that their body's would touch as much.  
  
Knowing that he had managed to distract her from her thoughts Inuyasha gently licked the indention he had left on her neck, kissed the spot, which was already a deep purple, and dropped his head onto the ground heavily. She shivered in response to the touch on the hickey, laughing weakly Inuyasha lay there trying to stop his shaking. 'Damn! I didn't think I would get as carried away as I did. She's intoxicating.'  
  
Kagome did not want to stop and made the most tempting noises that had Inuyasha sweating as he continued his battle with himself. Laughing hoarsely he shifted his hands on her hips so that she was sitting instead of laying down the length of him. She was still straddling him but as Kagome looked down at him with that look in her eyes he silently cursed himself.  
  
He was a goner, realizing that reminded him of that man in the woods. 'Damn him for being right! I have to make a decision, I cant keep hurting her every time Kikyo comes waltzing into our lives. But I promised her my protection, hell I promised them both!!!' The look in Kagome's smoky gaze drew him in like a moth to a flame. 'Stupid really, moths are stupid... But when I'm with her it doesn't fell like I have a duty to her, id do it voluntarily. With Kikyo its different, she never effected me the way Kagome does...'  
  
Looking at the woman in his arms he realized that he wanted her to stay there forever, he had to go about this carefully, everything had to be just right, because it was for her. Smiling tenderly at the woman in his arms he sat up and kissed her greedily, Kagome happily responded. Feeling almost drunk on the emotions running through her she didn't realize when he scooped her up in his arms and went to Goshinboku to sleep.  
  
In a kind of stupor that had Kagome feeling all warm and fuzzy inside, she happily conceded to his actions, 'Wow! I didn't know Inuyasha had that in him! I didn't know I had that in me...' She fell asleep knowing that she was safe and in the arms of the man she loved. And yes, she was just a little drunk.  
  
Before they reached the tree Kagome was asleep. Getting comfortable Inuyasha made sure that Kagome was secure in his arms and settled down to sleep, kissing her forehead and smoothing back her hair, before letting her scent lull him to sleep. [END FLASHBACK]  
  
Kagome looked around and shivered, even though it was a fairly warm summer morning, hating to admit it but she missed Inuyasha's warmth. "He. Left me. For Kikyo." *Sigh* Kagome didn't want to believe it as she made her way down the tree but every step she took she felt her heart breaking more and more.  
  
Two steps down- I knew that he wasn't over her!  
Three steps down- Why did I let things go on like this?'  
Four steps- 'BECAUSE YOU LOVE HIM AND BEING WITH HIM IS BETTER THAN BEING WITHOUT HIM.' Kagome sighed.  
Five steps- she stopped midstride, "its true" she told herself quietly. And sadly continued her way down the tree.  
Six steps- 'After everything that we've gone through, all the things he said and did, all the nights spent talking and all the kisses.'  
Seven- 'It still wasn't enough! What an idiot iv been!'  
Eight-- 'Of course he would go to her. I knew from the beginning her would! That look in his eyes when Naraku tried to kill her with the giant soul collector, that look should have told me everything. I just didn't want to see it.'  
  
She had almost reached the bottom-- 'of course he went to her, why would he want me? I was always in the way. I was nothing more than a shard detector, he told me so on several occasions...' She didn't know it but she was in tears.  
  
Kagome didn't even feel when her feet finally touched the ground; Sango walked out of the hut and saw Kagome "Good Morning!" she called cheerfully. When Kagome didn't answer Sango stopped midstretch and looked at her more closely.  
  
Almost as if she was fighting through some thick, invisible substance Kagome slowly turned toward the sound of her voice. When Sango saw Kagome's face she gasped. 'Oh, Kami. What did he do?! He's made her cry before but she's never looked so -- broken. NO! He didn't...'  
  
"Kagome! Kagome what did he do?!" Sango demanded fiercely as she ran up to her. Kagome looked at Sango and fell apart; she started crying like there was no tomorrow. Her knees gave out as Sango reached her and barely caught her. Sango slowly lowered her to the warm ground and rocked her gently. Kagome gripped Sango like a lifeline, digging her fingers into her kimono as if desperate for a kind of anchor. They sat there like that for a long time; gradually Kagome stopped crying and was able to tell Sango what had happened.  
  
"He... left. He left me, for her. I woke up this morning and he was gone... I sensed Kikyo's presence in the forest. Its faint but she was definitely here, he felt her and went to her..." Kagome's voice was heavy with tears and something else, it broke Sango's heart to hear her friends pain.  
  
As Kagome explained she seemed to deflate, her grip oh Sango's kimono slackened. Sango pulled from Kagome's now weak grasp to see what was wrong and saw, in her red-rimmed eyes, her spirit slowly break and deaden. It hurt to see the despair and longing overpower her soul and eventually drive it and everything else out. She could only imagine what Kagome was going through.  
  
As the wind stirred Sango saw the hickey that Inuyasha had given Kagome, she stiffened when she saw it and immediately realized it for what it was. She berated herself for not noticing it earlier, 'I should have noticed it that day we went swimming. Or yesterday when we were playing soccer! How could I have missed something like that!?' Knowing what had almost happened her eyes blazed fiercely "Ill kill him" she said hotly. "No, Sango. Don't be that way. I knew that he was in love with another and I still stayed with him," Kagome said softly, sounding more like herself but her voice still sounded as if she was coming from far away. She was completely unaware of what Sango had meant.  
  
'Thank Kami that its wearing off. Her heart is too good to hate him, but she doesn't know what that bite almost did to her. She doesn't understand what it means. I'm just thankful that he didn't break the skin. Still, how DARE he mark her and then leave her the very next morning! If it had been a full bite she would be going through withdrawal, she could have died! '  
  
"Kagome its going to be ok, were here for you" Sango told her soothingly. "No" Kagome replied, struggling in Sango's hold. "I could live with him loving another, but after everything that's happened... Seeing them together will kill me." Kagome choked out and managed to disentangle herself from Sango's hold, mostly because Sango had let her go since she was still very weak.  
  
"I'm going to go back to my time, it's been close to a month, I would have had to go home soon anyways." Kagome slowly stood up and missed the look of despair and panic that flashed across Sango's face, "This will give me a break and let me get prepared for what Ill have to face. If I come back." Kagome finished shakily.  
  
'No! She needs us! How can she think of leaving us... leaving me? She's the last of my family. Naraku killed the rest and took my brother... She's like a sister to me, she's my best friend! How can she just leave like that! How can I just let her go?'  
  
"But what about the jewel shards?" Sango asked, hoping that it would be enough to keep Kagome here with her. As soon as the words came out of her mouth she immediately regretted them, 'I'm so selfish! Of COURSE she has the right to leave is she wants too. This is about her NOT me...'  
  
Still unaware of the silent battle Sango was having Kagome responded by walking over to Kaede's hut, only to stop short at the sight of everybody gathered at the entrance watching her with sad, wide eyes. Stubbornly Kagome walked inside, kneeled near a corner of the hut, and lifted a floorboard. Everybody's eyes followed her; even Sango stood up and walked to the door to stand with the others to watch her.  
  
None of them felt even a shiver as Kagome crossed the shield she had erected to hide their presence. Still watching, they saw her reach her hand inside the niche the lifted floorboard had made. She pulled her hand back out to reveal the jewel shards in her hand wrapped in a small black cloth pouch.  
  
She emptied the shards into her hands, closed her eyes and concentrated. Her need steered her power, letting what she needed happen. Wrapping her hands around the shards she just sat there and waited for what she knew would happen. Soft pink light flared, seeping from the creases in her hands into the air and slowly faded. The others gasped when they saw it, her power was NEVER visible these days. They fidgeted as she finished what she had started.  
  
When she opened her hands the jewel was whole, except for a few missing shards. Slowly Kagome closed her fist around the jewel, when she opened her hand again, it was gone.  
  
Kagome then fell forward a bit but managed to catch herself on her hands. Shaking from the exhaustion of using her powers in such a raw form, she drew in a very shaky breath, slowly getting her strength back. At the sight of her doubled over like that and struggling everyone took a step forward but stopped, Sango clutched Miroku's arm, worried about her. While Kaede stopped Shippo from running to her, they all understood that this was Kagome's battle.  
  
Kagome stood up and looked at her family, knowing that she really was leaving and that it would be a while before she returned, IF she decided to come back. "I'm sorry guys, I hate leaving you like this but it's the best I can do now." She explained while she looked from one face to the other, "I'm taking the jewel so that nothing attacks you for it, I know you guys will be fine, but if I stay here I wont... I know Ill end up hating them and I don't want that, so I'm going back... when I'm ready Ill come back." Kagome told everyone hoarsely, her eyes haunted.  
  
Kagome walked over and picked up her backpack and then looked at them sadly once more. Tears threatening to spill from her eyes, not baring it any longer Kagome ran to the well. The images of Miroku's understanding face, Sango's panicked one, Kaede's accepting one and Shippo's tear-stained- heartbroken face, all haunted her.  
  
Her friends watched her go, still without saying a word. Each lost in their sadness and pain at seeing such an important part of their family disappear. "No!!! Inuyasha wouldn't do that to her!" Shippo cried fiercely, struggling in Kaede's hold. "He wouldn't! Would he?" he finished softly, almost pleadingly as Kaede bent down to hug and comfort him. Sango started crying desperately into Miroku's shoulder, he--for once-- didn't try and take advantage of the situation, but merely held and comforted her as best he could.  
  
The sound of their mourning was heard throughout the entire village, which was strangely quiet. They all loved and would miss Kagome.  
  
~~~~~~ *A large bowl full of water reflected the previous scene like a looking glass*  
  
A woman sat on the floor watching, in a grassy clearing, soft sunlight shone on her long raven hair and lily-white skin. A soft breeze stirred her hair but made no impact on the large bowl of mirror-like water.  
  
A man appeared out of nowhere, one minute there was nothing but air and he next he was just, there. He walks up behind her and looks over her shoulder at the water which continues to reflect the following scene, it flashes from Kagome running to the well with her tears flowing into the wind, the villagers, and the inside of Kaede's hut.  
  
*Sigh* "I should have known this would happen..." the woman's soft voice drifted into the air. "They have argued before, how is this any different? Remember we must not interfere too soon, mother and father have specified this..." the mans deep voice rumbled through the clearing softly.  
  
The woman looked up at him, piercing green eyes flashed at him before she turned back to the bowl full of water. "Perhaps, but we are also here to protect them until they are strong enough. Besides I think that we will have to help in this case. They do fight constantly, but it has never affected their friends before. You felt it too, otherwise you would not have gone to him earlier..." her soft voice trailed off as Kagome appears in her own time after jumping in the well. The two continue to watch in silence as the pool of water in the bowl shows them what is happening... ****************************************************************************  
  
Dun, Dun, Dun... OOooo how's that for a cliffhanger! I think I did good, im so proud! Ok so I hope that I did good with the fluff and the whole angst/ dark part of the chapter. I know, I said I wasn't any good at angst but the story needed it so if I did a horrible job at it... Gomen, cuz the next ch. will be very dark.  
  
Oh and woo hoo! Got a new fan and a review! *does happy dance!*  
  
REVIEW TO LET ME KNOW WHAT U THINK! arigato! 


	10. BROKEN

Hehehe, I just couldn't help adding that cliffy at the end, come on. The story was beggin for it! I know I'm evil, so I figured I might as well go all the way... theres another REALLY good double cliffie at the end of this chapter! They just keep poppin into my head and unfortunately I just HAVE to write 'em! please don't kill me.  
Im sorry that this chapter took so long to come out, everything just sorta snowballed on me this last week. Im not sure but the next chapter might take a while too because iv barley got everything under control. I swear I turn my back and something else goes wrong, not to mention that my computer keeps throwing fits. Ill try and get it out ASAP.  
Ok this chapter is the sad one, Im not sure how it turned out. Im still not happy with it but in the spirit of getting it out in time this is as good as its gonna get, I hope you guys like it.  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing! Except a sucky, underpaid job and some Rochers. And u cant have them! *lawyers eagerly look at Rochers in authoresses hand* MINE! Evil lawyers...  
  
The little asterisks followed by the capital letters are just a voice inside Kagome's mind, its kinda like her conscious but not. Its just this evil little voice--- thought id clear that up. ^.^ ************************************************************************** BROKEN  
  
Kagome sat hunched at the bottom of the bone eaters well in her time; she had just crossed over from feudal Japan. She looked pale and fragile, like her whole world had been destroyed. Her clothes were torn and dirty from having climbed down the tree and her time on the ground. Her arms and legs were scratched and slightly bruised; too weak to get up and make her way to her house she just sat there. Scalding tears flowed down her face unnoticed, leaving pale lines in their wake.  
  
'He finally did it. He finally left me for Kikyo, I knew he would eventually. But I thought that after everything that's happened in the past four years... I thought that things had changed, all the nights we spent talking in the Goshinboku, all the places he took me so we could be alone... I thought that he had grown to care for me...  
  
[FLASHBACK]: -- TWO YEARS AGO  
'I hope I can make it back in time to celebrate with everybody in the feudal era, Its not the same without them.' kagome was walking home from school, it was her birthday tomorrow and she had decided to stay an extra day to celebrate with her family. She had explained to everybody why she was going to be gone for so long, they had been more than understanding. She had promised presents for everybody once she returned. Even Inuyasha had understood, "Feh, its your birthday. We can hold off for a couple of days while you go home to do your school stuff." he had told her once they were alone at the well.  
  
Kagome had felt so happy, "Your welcome to come over if you want, I know that this seems stupid to you but its important to people in my time. Ill see you soon, with presents!" and she had jumped into the well.  
  
"Presents: something from the heart you give to someone you really care about on special occasions, like birthdays, 'hollydays', and 'chreestmaas'." Inuyasha told himself softly while staring at the well where Kagome had disappeared into.  
  
~~~~~  
The next morning Kagome woke up to Souta's face inches from her own shouting merrily, "Happy Birthday sis! Wait till you see what I got you! Come on, breakfast is ready! He told her happily while pulling her out of bed and dragging her downstairs. That morning her mother made a huge breakfast of everybody's favorite breakfast foods. They had a small party at her house, her family gave her presents and some of her friend's hade even dropped off their own gifts. Afterwards they all got ready and went out to the movies and anywhere Kagome wanted.  
  
~~~~~  
Inuyasha had been following her all day, he had seen the celebration that Kagome's family had given her and in spite of himself had felt a bit left out. Curious as to why they had gone into that particularly noisy building he followed. When he spotted her in the crowd, he was about to hide but he saw the look on her face, something about that look pulled him to her. To both of their surprise Inuyasha had appeared in front of Kagome and asked her to dance.  
  
"Inuyasha! What are you doing here?" Kagome started to panic but saw that he was human, 'I forgot that today was his night to transform!' Hurt that Kagome had turned him down Inuyasha had made his way to the edge of the floor before Kagome saw what had happened and rushed to him.  
  
"I'm sorry Inuyasha, I just panicked because I thought that somebody would see you and.... I'm sorry. Would you like to dance?" Inuyasha was a bit reluctant but she was pulling on his arm, not putting up much of a fight Inuyasha followed. They spent the night dancing; Inuyasha even had dinner with kagome's family that night before they went back home.  
  
~~~~~  
It was dark outside with the moon and stars shinning beautifully, they were outside Kagome's home in the courtyard [???] sitting on a stone bench. Everybody was tired but happy, kagome's family had gone inside to sleep while she and Inuyasha stayed and talked for a bit. Kagome was looking at the stars, enjoying his company. She was leaning against him and Inuyasha had his arm draped protectively around her shoulders, after a while Inuyasha got the nerve to tell her. "Kagome? Ummm, I know that it's your birthday and I... Ikindagotyousoemthinghere!"  
  
Inuyasha pulled something from behind his back with his free hand and thrust it at her while Kagome sat there blinking, trying to make sense of what he had just said. "Huh? Oh, wow. Thank you Inuyasha!" Her eyes sparkled like tiny stars when she saw the box he had put almost under her nose. "Go on, open it," he told her gruffly while looking anywhere but her. Blushing slightly, Inuyasha stealthily watched as she pulled out the bracelet that he had gotten her, her entire face lit up. Startled, when she threw herself at him in a massive hug he ended up on his back, with a very happy Kagome on top. Smiling happily Inuyasha held her as continued to gush happily at his gift and him... [A/N: NOT that kind of thanking!]  
  
[END FLASHBACK]  
  
Looking down at the bracelet on her left ankle she started to tremble, that was the bracelet he had given her. It had been too big for her small wrist so she had put it there, It was solid gold and shinned merrily. The bright light seemed to shine in the darkness she was feeling, it threw everything into sharper contrast. The brightness cut into her soul like a knife and plunged her deeper into herself.  
  
Kagome sat there for a long time, her mind was blank, she didn't want to think, see, or feel so she blocked everything out. Her body acted mechanically, it managed to get her to climb out of the well, steered her out of the well house and started her toward home.  
  
The sun was shinning beautifully, the breeze was warm and sweet, even the birds were singing merrily. All in contrast to what she felt, it was like the day knew what was wrong and it wanted to punish her, showing her that like the man she loved, it didn't care about her or her pain. The world continued to turn, with or without her.  
  
She was on a pebble path that led to her home when she stepped wrong and a pebble rolled underneath her, causing her to slip and fall. Tears trailed behind her as Kagome fell hard on her hands and knees. She skinned her knees and the palm of her hands pretty badly, but her mind didn't register the pain or that the tickling sensation was the blood running down her legs. She lay on all fours for a while, tears continued falling onto the stones unheeded. She eventually got up and made her way inside only to find that there was nobody home, the air had that empty quality that tells you that your all alone.  
  
She made her way to her room without seeing anything, dropped her backpack at the foot of her bed on the floor. She walked farther into her room, her eyes fell on a picture of her and Inuyasha horse-playing in the feudal era. Her knees gave out from under her and dumped her onto her butt on the floor.  
  
The wind stirred causing the drapes to flutter as it breezed through her room. Papers fluttered, a chime twinkled, but Kagome remained unmoved. Even her hair didn't stir in the breeze, it was like she wasn't there. Kagome just sat there, no thoughts registered, no sound could filter its way into her head. All she heard was static, a welcoming soft static that drowned out everything. She couldn't even cry, all her tears were used up, she was dry.  
  
*YOUR NOT NEEDED* a soft voice made its way through the static as she sat there. Kagome just retreated further into herself. Her usually bright chocolate eyes were faded to a dull brown, her pupils were almost invisible. It left her looking cold and zombie-like.  
  
Kagome sat there on the floor of her room for hours, the phone rang and rang at some point but she didn't hear it. She didn't hear the ice- cream man come by on his bicycle, ringing his bell merrily. She didn't hear the mailman ring the doorbell, she had to leave the package at the doorstep instead.  
  
The sun set in a ominous shower of red and orange, casting eerie shadows on Kagome's face and room as she continued to just sit there. Not seeing, not listening. Not living. Her heart had slowed to a feeble crawl and her breathing was slow and shallow.  
  
The milky moon and stars appeared in the inky night sky and still Kagome did not move. The cool night air wafted into her room, and seemingly drawn to her enveloped her. So that the room was several degrees cooler than it should have been. As the night air surrounded her Kagome started to shiver from its coldness, but she eventually stopped.  
  
She was numb inside and with the help of the night air she was numb outside too. Her skin was cold to the touch and she seemed frozen where she was. A pale statue of her usually bright and cheery self. All night she stayed like that, sometime past midnight a small orb shaped- pink shadow pulsed slightly at her right shoulder for a while and then quieted.  
  
~~~~~  
Birds early morning songs and the cheery sunlight came filtering through her window the next morning only to find a deadly pale woman sitting on the floor. Kagome now had dark black shadows under her eyes and her skin seemed slack and drawn at the same time. She sat there all night without moving, without tears, without blinking. She hadn't slept all night, she hadn't eaten in over 24 hours.  
  
She continued to stay like that all morning and all afternoon. And once again her right shoulder pulsed ominously, longer than before, then once again quietened. [A/N: I think I just made up a word]  
  
Sometime around five in the afternoon her cat Buyo came streaking up the stairs and jumped into her lap. It was clearly frightened out of its mind, yowling furiously he sank his claws into Kagome's arms and ranked them down the length of them. Blood immediately came rushing to the surface and for the first time Kagome blinked. Buyo continued to claw at her, leaving deep gouges in her arms and legs and she began to move.  
  
Her entire body was asleep, so that when she started to move pain shot through her limbs like wildfire. Pain. Ironically, pain seemed to awaken her. Her mind was still blank but her body came alive. Stiffly her body stood up and walked toward the bathroom, dried blood on her legs, and fresh blood running down her arms and legs from Buyo's wakeup call.  
  
Buyo watched her go from the place she had been sitting, his body stiff and alert, his fur on end. His eyes flashed a brilliant green for a moment, then returned to their normal yellow color. With the change in his eyes the grace and stiffness left his body and he wobbled over to her bed to sleep.  
  
All the while Kagome remained in a cold, static filled place. Not registering anything as she walked toward the bathroom.  
  
~~~~~  
She sat in the tub in water so hot it turned her skin red on contact. But she didn't feel it, she didn't feel anything.  
  
*ITS LIKE YOUR DEAD*  
  
She washed herself automatically, like a robot.  
  
*YOU MIGHT AS WELL BE, YOU ABANDONED YOUR FAMILY IN THE FEUDAL ERA AND THEY DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO STOP YOU*  
  
Kagome scrubbed her skin raw. Her knuckles were white and her fingers numb. She rinsed away the soap and started on her hair, lather, rinse, repeat. Her body knew what to do, even if her mind didn't.  
  
*YOUR NOT WANTED*  
  
That same voice wormed its way through the static. She slowly rinsed her hair out and stepped out of the water. But as she did so she stepped into a puddle of water and slipped, she tripped over the edge of the tub and fell onto the bathroom floor hitting her back on the toilet.  
  
The pain didn't even register in her mind, she just lay there in the steamy bathroom, on the floor. Alone.  
  
*ALWAYS ALONE.* The little voice taunted her softly.  
  
Kagome opened her eyes and saw nothing but black and white blurs, her mind didn't want to absorb anything, it was protecting her from her pain that if she let it, would burn her to ashes.  
  
*HE LEFT YOU. FOR HER. DESPITE EVERYTHING THAT YOU WENT THROUGH IT WASN'T ENOUGH. you weren't enough!*  
  
Kagome slowly raised her self onto her knees and leaned against the toilet, a sick cold feeling deep inside her. She couldn't register that it was coming from her stomach, but her body did and it automatically turned her so she could throw up into the toilet and not on herself.  
  
*EVERYBODY SEES WHAT A FOOL YOU'VE BEEN. THEY DIDN'T THINK THAT YOU WERE WORTH STOPPING. THEY JUST LET YOU LEAVE. YOU DON'T MATTER! YOU WERE JUST A SHARD DETECTOR AND A BURDEN TO BEAR.*  
  
That strange soft pink glow started to shine through the skin on her right shoulder again, it was slowly turning a sickening blood red and pulsing stronger than ever before disappearing once more.  
  
Kagome continued to throw up until it was just bile and spit flowing into the toilet. She slowly and difficultly stood up, walked toward the mirror. A walk that should have taken seconds took minutes, her legs felt like lead. Each step was a struggle but she finally made it and turned to look at her reflection.  
  
Sluggishly, as if struggling through heavily weighted air, her hand raised to the mirror and wiped off the steam covering the glass. It was almost as if her body wanted too tell her something, wanted her too see. Wanted her to wake up from the nightmare.  
  
She slowly raised her head like it weighed fifty pounds, it hurt to roll her eyes to look at herself. The pain seemed to wake her but the cold was too strong and it pulled her under again.  
  
Her reflection showed that she was sickeningly pale under the flush from the hot air and water. Her skin looked clammy under the steam covering her face. Her eyes were empty brown orbs, her lips were thin and tight making her mouth look like a alien slit on her face. Even her hair was different, despite its recent cleaning it hung limp on her shoulders and had lost its luster. And she had new lines on her face that had not been there the night before.  
  
This didn't register on kagome, all she saw was a black and white blur in front of her.  
  
She looked so different from the Kagome from the last thirty-two four. As she turned and walked to get a towel to dry off with she slipped on the same puddle and fell into the tub full of water, she didn't even try to stop herself from drowning as she slipped deeper into the water.  
  
Draped over the edge of the tub her head and shoulders disappeared under the water. Her lower body was hanging limply on the edge of the tub while her hair floated softly on top like a sad memorial of her...  
  
~~~~~~ [OVER TO THE FEUDAL ERA]  
"Kikyo, where are you?" Inuyasha whispers as he races through a forest following her soul-collectors. The setting sun sets in its glory of blood red, orange and yellow. The colors combine to make a ominous looking blood red path, the same path the soul collectors are going. The same path Inuyasha is following...  
  
************************************************************************ Haha! *authoress hides behind giant fort w/ impenetrable walls and a bullet proof vest * Im safe! HA! So here goes... the next chapter will have either another cliffie and it just might take a longer time. My job is being a pain and school isn't any better. @.@ *quickly ducks behind fort* plz don't kill me!  
  
Ok so how was it? Good, bad, sucked so bad u nearly got pulled into the computer???? Come on Review to let me know! plz! Oh and sorry about the length I know it's a bit short but I couldn't get it any longer. 


	11. DARKNESS

Ok so that last one was kinda fun-- once I got around to finishing it! eh heh, sorry that this one is so long. I swear I went over it at least six times and Im still not happy with it! Woo hoo! Only about one week late and thats cuz I don't have access to spell check so I had to wait till school started again. Gomen-nasi, Oh and to all my faithful reviewers cookies and candy by the truckload, I luv u guys!!! [Watch everybody run for the exits] ENJOY!!  
  
Disclaimer: Too busy to writ up a cute dialogue so this is it. I own nothing! No plushies, no pictures, no manga, no anime. So HA! You cant sue!......... somehow that doesn't cheer me up as much as I thought it would... ************************************************************************ DARKNESS  
  
Air bubbles were rising to the top of the tub, as the seconds ticked by they came slower and smaller until they stopped coming. The static surrounding Kagome was thicker than ever and the blue blurs she saw were slowly being blotted out by the darkness creeping into the edges of her already foggy vision. The darkness slowly covered all the blue and when it did she passed out...  
  
~*~*~ START DREAM SEQUENCE  
In her mind she saw nothing but darkness, soft, welcoming darkness. It surrounded her like a mothers arms, soft with a sense of security you can find nowhere else. Kagome was happily basking in the darkness when it was disturbed by a faint, glowing green light a few meters away.  
  
It steadily grew stronger until it suddenly flared a green so bright it shone white that it was painfull and blinded her. As suddenly as it had appeared it just as quickly, disappeared. In its place was a beautiful woman; she had dark-ebony hair down past her knees almost to her ankles, rich, creamy white skin and the most amazingly warm, emerald-green eyes... Those eyes continued to glow softly with the same, soft green light, but this time it was warm and welcoming, not harsh.  
  
In Kagome's sight all she saw was a colored fuzzy blob of a person, but that tiny green light that was the woman's eyes, glowing faintly, was strong enough to slowly wake her from the static surrounding her mind. The fog distorted shape stood a few meters from her in the darkness but that light still managed to warm her, pushing the numbing cold further down and away.  
  
"Kagome, you have to wake up. From this dream and from the depression you have been in. You MUST wake up!"  
  
The womans voice was warm and whispery with a faint echo as the static fought to keep its grip on Kagome, her voice chased away some more of the cold that had been surrounding her.  
  
"There is more at stake here than you know, it is a big burden to have the task you were given but I promise that everything will be all right in the end."  
  
'WHAT task?' Confused more than ever Kagome just listened to the woman and the voice that was slowly dissipating the static surrounding her.  
  
"You have responsibilities, you cannot abandon them or the people that need you." The strange lady told her, while steadily walking closer. "What people? Nobody cares about me, they all left me. Alone." Kagome slurringly [A/N: think I just made up another word there] told the vision.  
  
"Your wrong, they do care. But your family is not psychic, how were they supposed to know that you would be coming two weeks in advance? Besides they only went because your aunt got in a accident and they went to comfort and help the others. Are you really so hurt that you would resent that your mother console her only sister and her family?" she scolded Kagome gently.  
  
Still too deep into the numbness Kagome didn't fully absorb what she was being told. Stubbornly she shook her head, "Their better off without me, all of them..." she stated weakly.  
  
"No, they aren't." The woman told her kindly, "In fact they would be lost without you. Here let me show you."  
  
She was standing in front of Kagome by then, she regally kneeled down to the girls level and gently took her chin in her grip to turn her so that they were looking into each other's eyes.  
  
Those eyes, those emerald green eyes pulled Kagome in like a sirens call. The fog obscuring her vision cleared enough so that she was able to see those eyes perfectly. Strangely, those eyes were the clearest thing she had seen since she had crawled out of the well...  
  
^*^*^*^*^*^ WHAT KAGOME SEES IN THE WOMANS EYES ^*^*^*^*^*^*  
Kagome saw was a strong green light that were the womans eyes and then reality melted away, what was left of it, along with what was left of the static and fog surrounding her. When she was able to finally move away Kagome looked around and found that they were in her brothers room. All his things were as she had last seen them except that this time everything was coated in a thick blanket of dust.  
  
Startled to find herself in her brothers room Kagome slowly made her way around it to see what had changed during her hurried visits to her own time. She was faintly surprised to find that all his child-toys were gone and in their place were teenage-boy things.  
  
'He would be 13 or 14...' she let a small smile grace her lips at the memory of his outrage when the school told him that they would have to hold him back a year because his birthday was a month too late for admission into school. The smile grew as she remembered two years back when he was allowed to skip a grade because of his excellent scores.  
  
She found various pictures of their family as she wandered aroundaimlessly only to stop short when she noticed that a whole shelf was dedicated to a young girl a year or two older than her brother. There were picture-booth pictures, some of them playing, holding hands, posing for the camera and it ranged from there.  
  
So her brother had definitely grown up since the last time she had checked, she mentally beat herself up at that. How could she have missed out on something so big as to her brother having a girlfriend?  
  
"Why did you bring me here and why is his room like this, like it hasn't been occupied for a long time?" Kagome turned to ask the woman who all that time had been leaning against the window by the bed. "Where's my brother?" She asked as her eyes fell on a more recent picture of Souta, it was a close-up that showed his face clearly.  
  
His once porcelin smooth face was lined and had lost the roundness and innocent look of a child, he looked a bit worn and weighed down, making him look years older than what she knew him to be. "He looks so much older! What happened to put that look on his face, in his eyes?"  
  
The woman heaved a heavy sigh and pushed herself from the window, she walked over to Kagome and led her to the bed so she could sit, the picture still in her hands. By then her silence was unnerving Kagome, "What's going on?!" ""Let me explain... After you died your mother went into a deep kind of grieving, your brother was still young-- he has always been a good soul. Unfortunately however good his heart is it was also rather fragile... he was not strong enough to bear your death AND your mothers pain. Believe it or not, he was always looking after you. He was very protective of you despite his being younger... he began to blame himself when they found your body in the bathroom..."  
  
'No! Why would he blame himself? It had nothing to do with him...' "He loved you a great deal, without you he felt lost and alone. He was starving for some kind of human contact, it was no surprise when he turned to his girlfriend--- and got her pregnant." Shock ran through Kagome like ice down her spine, "But why would he do that? What about mom and grandpa and his friends?"  
  
"He pushed his friends away and your family was mourning YOU, he didn't want to bother them-- especially your mother. They were all wrecks." Was the woman's soft answer, "But then where is he, with his wife or..." Kagome let her question trail of at the thought that her brother was alone and maybe even homeless.  
  
"No, they were living here but they were all running low on money. What with your mother not working since she felt too sick to go in, so he was working three jobs to try and keep, not only him and the girl clothed and fed, but your mother as well. It wasn't enough, all it did was wear him down. One day he went and tried to rob a store but the owner was having none of it and shot him in self-defense. However desperate, your brother was no killer. The gun he used wasn't loaded, he thought to scare the owner into giving him the money-- that way no one would be hurt. He was dead before the police got there."  
  
"You can only imagine the pain that your family felt, the girl lost the child in her shock and unfortunately she also lost her life on the way to the hospital..."  
  
Kagome was shaking so bad that the picture fell from her hands onto the floor, the glass shattered on impact. Grasping her hands firmly to stop the shaking Kagome slowly turned to look down at the shattered picture. 'No! Souta... No! I was just, I was just trying to make the pain go away. I- -I just needed to get away for a bit. I never meant to hurt anybody...' "Be that as it may, your death caused irreparable consequences on your family." Came the uncanny reply, it seemed she could hear her thoughts as easily as her spoken words.  
  
Kagome's chest tightened at the thought of her brothers death, 'It was MY fault, if I had been here more often...' "Or better yet if you hadn't given up and let your pain overwhelm you, you could have been there to stop it from happening at all." The woman chided her gently.  
  
Startled by the woman's voice as much as her words Kagome turned to look at her and found those eyes locked on hers. Once again she had that strange feeling of reality fading away around her, once she found that she could break her gaze away from those unnervingly warm eyes she found herself in a dark room. But this time it was not the absolute darkness she had been in before, this room felt-- neglected, for lack of a better word.  
  
As her eyes adjusted Kagome realized that she wasn't alone, there were two other people in the room with her. One was that woman with the brilliant green eyes at her back; the other was... her mother. 'Mom? What is she doing here?' As her eyes slowly adjusted to the light she saw what she had missed before, the room was not only dusty and neglected-- it was a mess... and so was her mother.  
  
The older woman lay in a dirty, smelly heap in a unmade and disgustingly dirty bed. There were odd things strewn everywhere, from papers to old take-out containers to empty liquor bottles. Now that Kagome saw the bottles (there were quiet a few) the reek of stale liquor, old food and unwashed human entered her nose with a vengeance.  
  
"She couldn't take the loss of another family member, she struggled to stay strong for Souta but it was too much for her. When she found out about his mistake and his death she... She started to drink more and more and soon found herself in a depression so deep it was self-destructive. This is the result, she now hardly leaves that bed except to use the bathroom and sometimes not even that..." the woman told her matter-of- factly.  
  
Horrified at what she was seeing Kagome stepped toward her mother and shakily sat at the edge of the bed bedsides her. She slowly made herself take a closer look at her and almost cried out at what she saw.  
  
Her mothers once beautiful face was slack and deathly pale. She was amazingly thin, almost cadaverous. Her eyes were long dead and her skin looked waxen, almost as if she had long since left this world and was just barley hanging on to life. This wasn't her mother this was just a husk of her former self.  
  
From her perch at her bedside Kagome was able to fully appreciate the reek that clung to her mother. Not able to look into her many-lined face any more Kagome closed her eyes and turned away, 'I put that look in her eyes and face. I put those lines there...' To prevent her thoughts from consuming her she opened her eyes.  
  
"What, what about my Jii-chan? What happened to him?" she whispered terrified of the answer but she had to know. The woman sighed heavily, "He's dead child, the shock of your death was too much for him. It was quick-- a heart attack. For someone his age it wasn't that bad a way to die... at least he didn't suffer like the others." She finished quietly.  
  
Slowly she looked at the woman by the door, those eyes caught her gaze once more and felt a gut-turning jerk as she was hurled out of reality. When she could once again look away she found herself in feudal Japan inside the once familiar village. Kaede's village. It was now nothing more than a barren looking field, clearly an old battle ground cuz as they made their way across it Kagome tripped over an old piece of armor, looking around more closely she noticed that the ground was laden with armor and old bones.  
  
"What happened" she asked dully while dreading the answer, her hands were shaking uncontrolably now as she tried her best to keep it together. "They were attacked by demons, they held up well but they could not win..." the woman trailed off. 'All those innocent people... they were my friends! This is worse than the pain I felt before, all my family, gone. Wait...' Kagome's train of thoughts were cut off at the hope bubbling up inside her.  
  
"What about the others, their still alive right?" she asked the woman eagerly. Her response was the woman's piercing eyes capturing her again, when she gained control once more they were in another part of feudal Japan...  
  
They were standing at the edge of a huge crater; it was so big that the village could have fit into it easily.  
  
"What happened here, why did you bring me here?" Her nerves were already stretched past their limit and the woman's mysteriousness did nothing to help. "This is Miroku's grave." Was all the answer Kagome got. 'Kami help him...' the crater was ten times bigger than the one his father had left behind!  
  
In her grief Kagome failed to realize that with Naraku dead her friend's wind-tunnel would have healed instead of getting worse! U.U*  
  
'Poor Sango...' "Her grave is here too," the woman stated, her eyes never leaving the crater. Shock ran through Kagome like a electrical jolt. She stood frozen while her companion explained, "she jumped in with the monk, refusing to leave him. They died in each others arms."  
  
"B-but-but what- what about... Kohaku. Did Sango leave him after everything that's happened?" Her lips tingled after she spoke as the shock ran through and out her body lazily. "Kohaku never made it, he went mad at the memories of what he had done. Sango had been trying her hardest to save him but he was too much for her. He overpowered her and killed Kirara, he would have killed her too except that Miroku was there to help..."  
  
The rest of Kagome started to shake at the matter-of-fact words coming from that woman, "He managed to damage Miroku's hand some more before Sango killed her own brother." The softly spoken words did little to help; wrapping her arms around herself Kagome found that she couldn't look away from the crater, a memorial to her friends and family. "Did they live a good life after-- before Miroku..." shaking so horribly that her legs couldn't support her anymore Kagome's words trailed off and she dropped to the ground on her knees.  
  
"They were happy for about a year, they both knew that Miroku's time was limited, they just didn't know how limited... they were starting a family when Miroku felt the hole in his hand growing rapidly. Sango was pregnant, approximatly 3 weeks from giving birth when it happened." That dumped cold water over her spirit.  
  
Kagome felt her eyes grow big and the trembling stop at that bit of news, she stared sightlessly from the edge of the crater at their memorial and started to rock back and forth slightly. 'She-- she was, pregnant...' Realization at the true tragedy of the situation had Kagome reeling. Looking up she found the woman's eyes once more and the scenery warped and shifted again.  
  
This time they found themselves in a clearing, in the center instead of the hard-packed clay was a large, molten, glassy-looking clay. "What's this?" was all she could bring herself to say. As the combined sensation of the warp and Sango's sacrifice caused the nausea to win as she threw-up all over the ground. It hurt, since she had nothing in her stomach to throw-up all that came was bile and spit, her stomach cramping painfully.  
  
"This is Inuyasha. You see after you left Kikyo dragged him into hell with her. Since he HAD promised -stubborn boy- and his only other responsibility and reason for living was gone-- he let her do as she wished. Hoping that maybe he would be able to land in the watching chambers of hell where would be able to watch you for all eternity at least." [A/N: that's somewhere where your forced to watch all your loved ones live a happy life while your stuck in the dark, alone, unable to interact, eat or sleep. It greek mythology--I think, Instead of going to the Elysian Fields. Obviously Im too lazy to look it up and find the actual name for it.]  
  
"Unfortunately, since Kikyo was already dead she could not die again. The earth spit her back out... enraged at this she lost what little heart she had left and turned into a new evil. Leading army's of demons on innocents and taking souls just so she could feel SOMETHING. Eventually she turned into a kind of succubus, absorbing emotions out of people along with their souls..."  
  
Something in the woman's voice had changed, it was still matter-of- fact but there was a undertone to it.  
  
A burning sensation pricked the back of her throat and the back of her eyes as she absorbed everything, "And, and Shippo" she asked meekly. Hoping that at least HE was still alive.  
  
The woman looked stiffly up at the air above the crater, "Do you really want to know?" in all the time they had talked she had NEVER been cold. Matter-of-fact yes but always soft-spoken. The coldness from her voice could give frostbite and made Kagome shiver in spite of herself.  
  
A lone tear made its way down Kagome's cheek slowly, her hopes dashed. "No," she breathed shakily. Once more Kagome looked into those strangely bright green eyes, this time willingly letting the power take her where it willed. When the ride was over she looked around and saw that she was once more surrounded by darkness and the woman was kneeling in front of her.  
  
On the ground Kagome continued to look into her eyes and found that they were just-- eyes. Strangely glowing eyes but still-- just, eyes. Shaking herself mentally Kagome backed away from the strange apparition in front of her and found that the previously black, white and green blob in front of her was clearer now.  
  
Thinking back on it during the little trip they had just taken not once did she catch anything more than the scenes she had been shown and those eyes.  
  
What she had seen... the barrier in her head suddenly shattered like broken glass. It had been creeping up on her as soon as she had returned, but the memories she had of the visions in the woman's eyes were enough to break its hold on her completely. She was already on her knees in a place where she had no floor to support her except darkness. The scenarios the woman had showed her cut her deeply enough that the pain overwhelmed her. It was like a physical pain, she clutched her stomach and rocked back and forth as she let the pain ride her.  
  
She had let out a scream of agony so great that even the woman felt her agony in her soul. She cried deep raking sobs that made raked deep tremors from her slight frame. The woman crouched before her laid a hand on her shoulder; it was like ice in a scorching atmosphere of pain, it caused her to look up and into her face. This time those eyes didn't be-spell her and she was able to get a true look at her face.  
  
That face. Something about that face...  
  
"Let it out child, let it out. You must purge yourself of this pain; you must let it wash over you and then float away like a wave. Otherwise it will consume you..." Kagome didn't know how long she just sat there and finally cried the loss of the heartbroken.  
  
She was different; she didn't have it in her to hate them just for their happiness, just like she couldn't leave a person stranded even when she was inadequate help. She just didn't have that in her and that was what made her different. Despite everything her heart was too pure to for true hate. Thats why all that pain, anger, hurt, and bitterness was purged from her body by her tears.  
  
When her cries finally slowed she found herself practically in the strange woman's lap, just like a mother she ran her hand soothingly up, down and in circles on Kagome's back. Every now and then she made cooing noises that soothes her like a cup of steaming homemade cocoa on a cold winters night. It was enough to break the spell that had washed over her since she had learned of her lovers betrayl.  
  
"Do you see now? Do you see that your death will solve nothing; in fact it will only worsen things. Even without having been shown those images how could you think of abandoning your family like that? You have to let this go-- for their sake and yours. Everything will work itself out, for better or for worse. Trust in yourself, and don't let some boy rule you. You are far stronger than that! You were made to be stronger than that..."  
  
The woman's words rang a bell deep in Kagome's soul but for the life if her she couldn't filter out what it meant. Ignoring it she concentrated on her fears, she didn't want harm to fall on anybody that was why she had left in the first place...  
  
"I left so that I wouldn't hurt anybody and so that the pain would go away..." the tears flowed freely down her cheeks at the pain that surfaced in her heart.  
  
"Don't you see child? The pain that your running from is what keeps you apart from the dead, pain is the body's way to telling us that we are still alive. You saw your mother-- however much she was still breathing-- she was nothing but a shell. I showed you those things for a reason!" The woman slowly came into focus as Kagome's tear-dilled eyes drained away.  
  
"Are you willing to inflict all that pain on your family? They already lost your father, would you really put them through that again? Just because you feel bad? They need you, all of them do. The ones from your own time AND those in Feudal Japan. Whether you believe it or not you are the piece that holds everything together, YOU are what makes you family work so well."  
  
The woman reached a lily-soft hand to cup Kagome's cheek, immediately the pain in confusion in her faded and she was able to see things slightly clearer in her minds eye.  
  
"Even your friends would feel your loss, does that kind boy not always bring you gifts and such. And do they all not ask how you are faring? They always try to help, even when their help is not the right kind. Their hearts are in the right place, is yours? Can you really leave everybody alone like that?"  
  
"What about Inuyasha? He left me, because I wasn't enough. He didn't love me.." the thought made her sick and weak all over again. The static tried to fight the light that emanated from the woman but she firmly pushed it back. She needed to know.  
  
"And since when does a guy matter so much? Are you that much of a pushover that a few pretty words and some gifts from him will tame you? Are you so weak that a little heart-ache and doubt will break you?" The woman's words made their way through the doubt in Kagome's mind. 'I am NOT a push over!' she snapped out of her thoughts and doubt and looked into the woman's eyes. 'She's right; Iv NEVER let Inuyasha walk all over me, why should I start now? ...'  
  
"But, Kikyo.." doubt crept into Kagome's heart again. "Forget Kikyo! She doesn't matter. She does not fit into the picture; she has a separate path to follow! ... We have let things get out of hand and that is our mistake to fix. Not yours. Do not worry, everything will work itself out..." worried that she was losing Kagome the woman reached out and grabbed her on either side of her face and willed her too see...  
  
Flashes of what the woman had previously showed her passed though her minds eye like wildfire as she was forced to look into the womans eyes again, all that pain and suffering was caused by HER. No, she couldn't let that happen...  
  
'Enough, enough...' "ENOUGH!" Kagome jerked out of the strange woman's grasp and lay sprawled on the floor crying. 'They all died! Bbut before they passed away they suffered so much. I-- I should have been there to help them. I'm so selfish!!! "Damn, damn, damn!" with each word she pounded her fist on the 'ground' in emphasis.  
  
"Why did you show me that? WHY?!" desperate Kagome lunged herself at the woman in anger only to collapse crying into her lap again. "Child I showed you those things so that you would see that your are definitely needed and ARE appreciated. You have made so many changes in their lives just by being there. You have helped every life that you have touched, just by being you...Your heart is the biggest I have seen in a long time, it shines even in the darkness." Confused Kagome took her words literally and looked down at her chest, what she saw made her gasp.  
  
In her chest a faint purple light was glowing VERY faintly, as she looked at it, the light steadily grew stronger until she was bathed in her own light just like the strange woman when she had first appeared. Confused Kagome looked around and realized that she was dreaming, she tried to wake up but found that she couldn't. 'What?! Dreams don't work like this. One you realize that its a dream you wake up, What going on?!'  
  
"You see? If you were not as strong as you are I would not have been able to come to you..." The light surrounding Kagome steadily pushed the darkness back, raising all sorts of questions in her mind. 'Why do I glow like that woman?' The thought caused Kagome to look more closely at her and she gasped.  
  
'Something about her is familiar, something about that face...'  
  
"Child, you are needed in this time and the past. You have accomplished a great deal, do not throw it away. You still have things to accomplish. Remember! You MUST must remember the...! YOU ARE NEED! In more ways than one..." the woman's voice was fasing but Kagome noticed the faint tinge of panic to it.  
  
Her words frightened her and found rando questions tumbling out of her mouth in her panick. "Who are you!? What's going on here, why can't I wake up?" Kagome found that she couldnt keep her panic up for long, 'Something about that woman is familiar, I just can't feel anything but safe around her...' and she slowly let her fear glide away. "I am a goddess who has taken a interest in things. Forgive me for not realizing things had gotten so out of hand. But do not worry; we will help fix things so you can do what must be done. What no other can do." was her almost inaudible reply.  
  
"NOW WAKE UP!" The womasn voice suddenly boomed through Kagome's skull with power. ~*~*~END DREAM SEQUENCE  
  
Kagome instantly gasped, causing her lungs to fill with water, she automatically pushed herself up and out of the water filled tub. Gasping for much needed air Kagome sat in the tile floor shivering, her naked body was covered in freezing water and the cold tile only made it worse. She sat there shivering and relearning how to breath for several minutes. Finally she stood up shakily, she was shaking so hard she almost fell-- again. Not wanting a repeat of the last couple of minutes she carefully made her way to the toilet and grabbed her towel. Wrapping it tightly around her body she sat down on the toilet, exhausted after the last two days of drama.  
  
'Two days... has it really been only two days? And how long was I under? It couldnt of been too long or else I would have died... but--- the water is ice-sold now...'  
  
Head in her hands Kagome thought about the woman and her dream, she frowned as the details started to slowly seep out like trying to hold sand in your hands. It seemed to find cracks in her mind and started to drift away. However Kagome did keep a few things, "the lady is right, no more tears! I have to be strong-- for everybody. I matter! I have school and training and two families waiting for me!" kagome told the air firmly. She got up proudly and walked out of the bathroom toward her room...  
  
~~~~~BACK IN THE CLEARING  
The man from before was sprawled comfortably on the ground watching the water-filled-bowl when the goddess from Kagome's dream appeared in the clearing once more. She turned those eyes on the man as she made her way to him.  
  
"So, you not only managed to wake her but got to keep her from seeing that those dreams were nothing but air and a good bit of imagination." The man stated casually but the look of relief could not be ignored in his eyes. She let a small smile grace her lips before she settled gracefully on the ground.  
  
"She is a good child, for all her pain it was her heart that got her out of the darkness. Mother and Father were right to have chosen her; she just might succeed in this task... What about you? Has he accepted things as they were meant to be or did your words go in one ear and out the other?" Was her amused and anxious reply.  
  
The mans soft rumble could be heard in the air and felt in the ground, "Humph! Damn kid is a stubborn as she is. He is still following those damn soul-collectors." *sigh* "Then let us hope he realizes his mistakes before it is too late..." her whispery voice faded into the air as they continued to watch the bowl.  
  
************************************************************************ Let me see... the next chapter is going to be a little confusing cuz it's going to be skipping around allot. I had to do that just so I could put what everyone's been doing but it also explains WHY Inuyasha left Kagome and what has happened to him. So that should please you guys.  
  
Come on PLZ review! I worked so hard during my break to get this out to u guys. I even got the outlines for at LEAST three more chapters[Abd I mean who EVER get ANYTHING done during S.B?] . I don't rely on reviews to update BUT they do make me feel all warm and fuzzy which prompts me NOT to kill everyone. ^___^ j/k! Go~o o~n pu~sh i~t!!! U know u wanna! 


	12. MAKING A CHOICE

I know I know 3 chapters and no Inuyasha, which means that [dramatic pause] this chapter features our favorite hanyou! However it does have allot of skipping around, cuz its hard when the main characters are in diff. eras n i wanted to try n show the time passing was the same for both of em.  
  
So here it is, I was gonna wait to finish running it through the spell check at scool but I figured that yall had waited long enough! ^_^  
  
Disclaimer: "Back I say! Back" *herds lawyers back with chair and whip circus trainer style* "I don't own him u blood suckers! Ya hear me, I DONT own him or ANY memorabilia... but that's just cuz I haven't found anywhere that sells 'em" *Lawyers push back at that last comment* "oopsie, did I say that out-loud??"....  
  
************************************************************************ Making A Choice  
  
The early summer breeze stirred Kagome's raven hair against her back; her low-rise white Capri's and lightweight orange halter were perfect for spending a day outdoors. The colors looked great against her lightly tanned skin causing her to look faintly exotic. She walked bare-foot across her grounds to stop at a tree whose branches were low enough for her to grab and pulled herself onto one. Kagome climbed until she found a comfortable seat in its limbs and relaxed against the sun-warmed bark.  
  
As much as Inuyasha had hurt her by leaving her the way he had, she refused to be bitter and forget all the fun they'd had and in doing so a big weight had been lifted off her. She really did enjoy being up in a tree and she flat out refused to let his choice turn her away from things she liked just because she had discovered them through him.  
  
She let a leg dangle off a branch so all you could see was her leg swinging lazily, poking out from the foliage. With a peaceful sigh she closed her eyes and began her regular exercises in her training, the cheery sounds of the birds filled her ears and the soft rays of the sun filtering through the cool leaves helped ease her into her training and enjoy the day.  
  
Since her eyes were closed, Kagome didn't see the faint pink glow that came from her exposed shoulder. The Shikon Jewel was back to normal once more.  
  
~~~~~  
That same night found Kagome looking up at the stars through her bedroom window, gazing at the half moon hanging in the sky and enjoying the cool night air wafting around her, dispelling some of the days heat. It seemed that Tokyo was easing into a heat wave.  
  
For a couple of hours Kagome had trained outside and basked in the leaf filtered sunlight deep in her tree, she had stayed to enjoy the sunset before heading back inside to eat some more and to study. It was now past midnight and she was exhausted but didn't want to sleep, excitement ran through her at the progress she had made during her training that day so she stayed a while longer to enjoy the view.  
  
She was back to her cheery self; the silvery moonlight highlighted the scabs and bruises from the many falls she had taken and Buyo's claw marks as she stood by the window. With a last look at the jewel studded sky Kagome reluctantly turned and headed toward her desk where her lamp was still on and school papers were strewn everywhere from her earlier attempt at her homework. Resigned she turned off the light and let the light of the stars and the moon light her way to her bed, as soon as her body hit the cushioned mattress she was asleep...  
  
~~~~~OVER IN FEUDAL JAPAN  
Shippo was sitting outside by Kaede's house with some of his friends from the village: A small, willowy girl with a dusting of freckles across cheeks and nose, a pert upturned nose, long vibrant red hair, and dancing green eyes. She looked like mischief itself and a little elvin; A boy Shippo's age with a mop of curly black hair, a contagious smile and serious brown eyes; Another little boy fidgeting with barely contained energy, brown hair that stuck every which way, a stubborn chin and laughing eyes; Last was the youngest of the group, little girl with chubby little legs, arms and hands which currently held a teddy bear Kagome had brought her (the other hand was stuck in her mouth), big blue eyes that were sharper than anybody gave her credit for, curly blond hair and a cherub-like face all rosy and sweet.  
  
Shippo was proudly showing them some 'peaksures' that Sango had let him borrow, they were old ones that they had all taken during the years that they had been together. There was some of everybody including the children, they all missed Kagome and had begged to be allowed to see the treasures...  
  
[Miroku on the floor twitching with a red hand print on his face with a blushing and livid Sango over him, Sango playing with Kirara, Shippo and the village children in a dog-pile playing with Kagome, Kagome looking ecstatic as Inuyasha gave her a piggy back ride (his way of taking her flying) and so on...] Shippo eagerly narrated the pictures for his friends when they asked about each one.  
  
"Don't you miss her? I do. She was fun..." the black-headed little boy, Yoro-Umi, asked him shyly. It had hurt everybody who knew her to see her leave the way she had. Shippo felt tears burn his eyes threatening to overflow so he puffed up his chest and bravely plowed on, but his moment was interrupted by the elvish girl, Ao-tsuki, who poked him in the stomach causing his chest to deflate. "Truth Shippo" she demanded.  
  
He looked at his friends and then at the pictures, wilting a little he confessed. "Yeha I miss her. I know that she been gone longer before and been hurt by that oaf but... if Inuyasha had been here to see her face!" Shippo stopped as anger coursed through him. He really admired Inuyasha for being so strong and seeing him hurt the closest thing he had to a mother had crushed his hero and plans. He had hoped that they could be his new parents, but now...  
  
Frowning stubbornly he continued, forgetting that he had an audience. "Dumb Inuyasha! If he could see her every time that he does those stupid things to her that would show him! He hurts her all the time, him and that dead Kikyo lady. If he could only see..." Shippo pouted at that. He had all these great ideas but had no way of making them real.  
  
The children looked at each other and smiled eagerly. They could help him do something about that! They knew how much their friend wanted a family, a REAL family with a mommy and a daddy. So all excited they grabbed Shippo, ran to their secret place and told him their ideas. Slowly a big grin appeared on Shippo's sullen face, by the time they were done his eyes glittered with new mischief. With his friends help this would be his best trick yet!  
  
~~~~~  
Meanwhile Sango sat with Miroku on the village fence facing Inuyasha forest, Miroku had his arm draped protectively around her shoulders while Sango rested her head into the crook of his neck. He rubbed her arm, casually enjoying touching her [A/N: come on he still needs to keep a bit of his idle hand ^.~]. They were watching the sunset, "Do you think that they will return? I miss her, I miss them. And I'm worried about her." Sango confided to Miroku as she continued to look at the multicolored sky, "I know. We have to believe that things will work themselves out. Everything happens for a reason, I cannot believe that the gods would let such a injustice go." Miroku whispered back before planting a lingering kiss at her temple.  
  
Sango smiled weakly and took comfort in his words while snuggling deeper into his embrace. "Not now Miroku" she said wearily and without a blink. He froze his hands' crawl to "inappropriate places" and sighed dramatically. 'Well at least she didn't beat me, although I'm grateful I wished she would have. That would mean that she was ok, I hope things get better soon..." and they continued to watch the sunset in silence.  
  
~~~~~  
Several days run in the same direction that Sango and Miroku were looking at Inuyasha lay in a strange forest with Kikyo's soul collectors surrounding him. It was about an hour past sunset and he was on the ground leaning against a tree for support.  
  
'I miss Kagome... her warmth, laughter, scent, the way we used to talk until we fell asleep. I shoulda woken her! I should have gone back long before now, but... I promised to protect Kikyo... truth be told I didn't WANT to leave Kagome, I wanted to stay! I should have gone back when I noticed that I was going to be gone for more than a day...' he had been having those kind of thoughts for the last couple of days, even while Kikyo's soul collectors led him on a trail only they knew.  
  
'I didn't want to hurt her, she would have been sad if I had told her why I was leaving and Kikyo's soul collectors were insistent. I thought that she was in trouble but now... It's been three days! I just don't know anymore, how much help could I give when its been three days? And when I really don't want to be here...' Inuyasha had stopped periodically on his way to meet Kikyo to look back the way he had come and worry about the woman he had left asleep in their tree with a worried look in his eyes and Kagome in his thoughts.  
  
Missing her. Worrying about her. He had stopped every night to think about her and try to sleep and when sleep wouldn't come without her he went back to worrying. It was all he could do as he thought about her constantly. Kikyo barely made it into his head except to remind him that he had to help her if he could and then he would feel guilty for not thinking about her more. But it would be swiftly squashed by thoughts of Kagome. "Kagome..." he whispered softly into the night.  
  
He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't catch her scent until it was too late and she was on him. Using the blunt end of the knife she always carried on her, Kikyo hit him over the head with it, using a little bit of her powers to knock him unconscious.  
  
'How dare he take so long! They tell me that he stopped repeatedly without reason and even started to head back! And now that I am here he doesn't even have the decency to greet me!' It didn't occur to her that her soul collectors would overpower her earthy scent, although it didn't help that Inuyasha had been distracted.  
  
Looking down coldly at the crumbled heap on the ground that was Inuyasha she heard him mutter her name. Again! "Kagome" Causing Kikyo's sharp eyes to narrow on her death-pale face. She continued to look down at him coldly, 'That girl! He said her name as I got here, now he says it again in his sleep. How dare he think of another woman while he is on his way to me? And it's not just any girl its that reincarnation. She is not even a girl, just a copy! Even while he is hurt he lets her name cross his mind and lips.'  
  
She fought down the breath of guilt that tried to worm its way into her long still heart. 'She has yet to do something to me, in fact that girl had gone out of her way to help me on several occasions.' [A/N: ep. where she helps Kikyo get out of a miko eating demon and in the magna where she brings her back to life AGAIN! This one's got more lives than a damn cat!] 'Kagome. She has even gone as far as refusing to do anything except protect herself when I attack her. She is foolish to not fight back, how am I supposed to judge her power if she will not fight? Huh, I suppose she isn't so bad...'  
  
Unnerved by those strange thoughts she quickly pulled her mask of anger and cold indifference around her like a coat, as she sank into those familiar feelings she relaxed and looked at him again with cold, narrowed eyes. Her soul collectors gathered around her and Inuyasha until they picked them up and floated away. All the while she studied the unconscious hanyou...  
  
~~~~~~BACK TO KAGOME'S TIME  
The next morning Kagome woke to the sounds of the bird's early cries and the early morning sun on her face. Smiling happily she rolled over contentedly enjoying what was left of the weekend, she wallowed in her sheets for a bit more before the heat drove her out of bed. She pattered downstairs happily in her tank top and underwear, it was way too hot to get dressed... and she was to lazy. [A/N: don't know about u but the kiddie pj's were starting to bug me, along w/ all the skirts. Just being more realistic, if ya don't like it let me know and Ill think about it ^.^]  
  
Kagome had a cheery morning, once she finally got in the mood to change into some shorts and a top she opened all the windows and happily spent her day playing with Buyo, training, studying and playing outside with the water hose. Once she tired of all that she emptied her yellow monster of a backpack, washed all her dirty clothes and went to the store to get the rolls of pictures she had developed. Needless to say she had a carefree morning, until Eri called...  
  
Kagome ran into her house, slammed the door and picked up the ringing phone while simultaneously clutching the envelopes of developed pictures and groaning at the effort it took to run in the heat. Conveniently forgetting that she did it all the time in the feudal era. "Moshi-moshi?" she answered lightly out of breath. "Kagome?! Your home, are you ok? You sound a bit out of breath. My mom said something about your family away in some part of the country looking after your sick aunt or something? Are you all alone? How could they leave you alone like that! Or are you better from you recent bout of depression? You haven't tried to hurt yourself have you..." She said it all in one breath and was still going strong.  
  
It went on and on, 'You have no idea how close grandpa came to that last one...' Kagome pondered silently. It immediately brought up images of her family in feudal Japan and she felt a wave of guilt wash over her. Tuning her friend out she let her own thoughts get the better of her, 'I should go back soon, I mean I feel better and all. But I haven't seen my family here and since im here I SHOULD go to school... but I don't want them to worry in the past...'  
  
Kagome was jerked out of her thoughts by Eri yelling at her, "Kagome, Kagome! Are you there, are you sure your ok and able to be moving around?" "Hai, im here." She managed to get in while her friend took a breath, "Oh. Well actually, I was just calling to make sure if what my mother said was true and to ask if you were going to be able to come to school these next couple of days. You know, since the finals are almost here-"  
  
" --NANI!!!! " Kagome forgot completely about returning to the past, 'Finals are almost here and I haven't studied nearly enough! Kami help me!' "CHE!" muttering darkly she used some of Inuyasha's more colorful cusswords and started pacing. Unaware that she had said anything out loud she continued her ranting. The phone was tightly gripped in her hand an plastered to her ear but it was oddly silent, making her forget that Eri was on the line.  
  
"O.o" Eri was stunned; for once her constant string of chatter was quiet at the sound of Kagome cursing! 'Wow, I didn't think Kagome had such colorful language, wait what was that last one? I need something to write with, I should be writing this down!'  
  
~~~~~~OVER IN FEUDAL JAPAN  
The moon and stars were out and Kikyo was still traveling with a unconscious Inuyasha and her soul collectors. Near dawn that morning they reached a deep cave and Kikyo and co. proceeded into the heart of it. It had no other tunnels that branched off, no escape routes to take by a desperate hanyou; it was just a one-cavern cave. Kikyo dropped Inuyasha at the back and then proceeded to shield that part of the cave so that he was effectively caged. After one last cold look she turned and walked out...  
  
~~~~~~BACK TO THE PRESENT  
Kagome had long ago hung up with Eri and was studying dutifully at her desk; the remains of her dinner were thrust into a empty corner of her overcrowded desk. The envelopes full freshly developed pictures lay forgotten on her bed. She spent the rest of the night finishing the rest of her homework...  
  
The next morning found her asleep at her desk, when she woke up bleary eyed she found the last bit of her calculus homework stuck to her cheek and her cat Buyo starring at her not five inches from her nose. Standing stiffly she went to take a shower; feeling much better and a great deal calmer, she decided to go have some breakfast, take it easy, and call her folks at her aunts house and . It was time she told them where she was, especially since the next day a Monday.  
  
Her mother was glad to know that she was home and had decided to stay until the end of the school year, not to mention that the jewel was practically complete. "Ok honey. We'll be home either late Monday night or early Tuesday morning. Until then don't break anything with your new powers please." Were her instructions, "Hai mama. Best wishes to aunt Shaiivau- San!" [A/N: made the name up. Don't know enough actual Japanese for names]  
  
~~~~~  
Sunday was spent much like Saturday except that Kagome didn't play or study as much, however she DID spend a good while outside training in an effort to enjoy the day and train at the same time. She discovered that she could build a shield around herself so the heat wouldn't be so intense. Unfortunately it was sedentary and refused to move with her so she was stuck in one place if she wanted to stay cool, she was still happy to have discovered another use for her powers and decided to work on the problem next time. [A/N: I don't really know many Miko powers so im gonna make em up in this fic] She went to bed in her "pj's" happy with the day and her accomplishments.  
  
~~~~~  
That week flew by Kagome at mach-5, she was so busy getting back on track with her school work, training, explaining things to her family and dealing with her meddling friends than she baerly noticed the days fly by except as an afterthought. While she was not depressed anymore- thank Kami that her family hadn't been around to see her like that!- she did loose weight again as her eating and sleeping habits waned.  
  
She was so used to Inuyasha keeping her from working too hard, that she forgot to look after herself. Remember that resolution to take it easy? That was dead and buried, after one day at school Kagome decided to get it in gear. She was far behind, in her mind at least and dived head first into her school work. As for her family and friends, they were worried, true, but figured that apart from force-feeding her every once in a while and putting a sheet over her when she feel asleep at her desk was really all they could do until the exams were over. But by that weekend they were all in agreement that Kagome had to slow down or at least be kept under constant watch, just in case.  
  
That was why Ayumi decided that they should have a steady group at Kagome's place so that they could all keep an eye on her. Well that and the fact that she was still at the top of their class score-wise, hey if they got something out of it the better. That way everybody would win! So that Saturday it was decided, a study group it was!  
  
Although nobody counted on the surprise guest that decided to pay a visit the upcoming week...  
  
~~~~~~BACK OVER TO FEUDAL JAPAN  
Late Wednsday night. Not that you could tell what time of day it was from inside the cave, all you could see was darkness and more darkness. The only light came from the iridescent shield surrounding the back of the cave, where Inuyasha was slowly starting to wake-up. Strangely instead of the faint light brightening up the cavern it just threw everything into greater contrast.  
  
Gingerly shifting his weight to see if everything was in working order he brought hand to his scalp and winced at the large bump on it. It seemed that while his body took care of his large wounds fairly quickly it took its time fixing the minor injuries. Something that bugged him to no- end, 'Damn it, where the fuck am I?' Sniffing around he smelt stone and a foreign place, 'Feh, nothing I couldn't have figured out by looking... Shitt! That's one of Kikyo's shields and... Kuso! That's definitely her scent, hers and those damn soul collectors!'  
  
He drew Tetsuiga and tried to break out of his makeshift prison but it was no good, 'Its like trying to break on of Kagome's shields, although hers are different...' The thought of Kagome brought him up short. 'How long have I been out for? Is she ok, is she hurt, does she think I abandoned her? Kami Im a fool to have followed Kikyo like that! *Sigh* No sense but to wait and see what all this is about. I HATE waiting...' his upper lip curled in annoyance, he hated waiting and he hated being ignored.  
  
As he laid back and made himself as comfortable as possible against the stone wall his thoughts shifted to a previous conversation he had had earlier. He knocked his head back against the wall at his stupidness, 'I should have never waited this long, this is what he was talking about! Kuso...' Continuously banging his head against the wall he let the memory surface...  
  
[FLASHBACK: SOON AFTER MIROKU TOLD INUYASHA ABOUT KIKYO'S ATTACKS]  
It was dark outside; the full moon was bright enough to lend its light to those on the ground enough to see by, giving a soft silver glow to everything. The stars twinkled like silver glitter in the velvet sky and the night air was mercifully cool after the summer suns fierceness during the day.  
  
The orange blossoms [A/N: Do oranges or leons even grow in Japan? Oh well, they do in this fic]on the tree perfumed the air around him but it was wasted on the hanyou. He was gone, so deep in thought that the beauty of the night was lost on him, "Kikyo..." his sad voice carried in the night air to the invisible man at the foot of the tree as he silently jumped to a branch close to Inuyahsa.  
  
'Why would you attack Kagome? Why would you try and kill an innocent girl? She has done nothing to you, Kagome is the reason that you're walking around now... I cant believe that I hadn't noticed! How stupid am I!?' "Damn it Kagome you stubborn bitch!" Anger resonating in his voice, the man sitting beside him stiffened slightly at his words and tone. 'Why would you let her keep attacking you, why wouldn't you let me protect you?!' His eyes shone with, sadness, yearning, anger, gentleness and love all in a rush like a flip book so that you didn't see them for more than a milli-second as he thought things over.  
  
'Don't you trust me to keep you safe? ... But---how CAN I protect you from her? I promised...' The man draped on a branch besides Inuyasha finally decided that it was time to get the show on the road and Inuyasha was jerked out of his thoughts by a masculine baritone speaking practically in his ear. "Maybe its time that you picked one?"  
  
"AAHHHH, what the fuck?!" Inuyasha scuttled away from the voice, scared that he was finally loosing it. A deep chuckle came from beside him again, it was warm and carried through the night air. "I mean, its about time isn't it? You have managed to fall for them both and now your finding it hard to distance yourself from one, but sadly boy it must be done. Before its too late for her..."  
  
Clutching his heart Inuyasha looked around frantically for the speaker, "where the hell are you?! Come out and face me like a man!" he demanded as his heart hammered againsnt his chest before the voices words penetrated his skull. Sometimes having a thick head was NOT a good thing.  
  
"What are you going on about boy Im right he... oh, oops." He finished sheepishly as he realized that he was still invisible, suddenly a brilliant silver light flared to the right of Inuyasha and the invisible man is seen. Startled Inuyasha swiveled his head to look for the source of that light and found a man draped on a branch a couple of feet to his right like it was a old, broken in couch.  
  
Immediately the hanyou's hackles rose, not only because there was a strange man in HIS forest WITHOUT his permission but because he had NOT been able to sense him before he appeared beside him. Surprises like these always meant trouble, he just hoped that he would be able to keep this quiet enough so that the others wouldn't notice and so that HE wouldn't go after them either.  
  
His back straightened proudly now that he was able to get a better look at the man. Suddenly his blood ran cold, it was strange because the person before him looked harmless enough.  
  
He had broad shoulders and a slim-well toned body, the kind that come naturally and not from years of physical labor. His tanned skin hinted at a man who liked to spend time outdoors. His dark-ebony hair was curling at his collar; it had the look of a absent-minded self trimmed cut that was long overdue for another. He had the look of a man in his prime-- in his late thirty's, judging by the laugh lines on his kind weathed face, around his mouth and eyes. Those eyes were what had stopped Inuyasha.  
  
They were not human eyes. They were a beautiful cerulean blue, the kind that you spot when you go to the Caribbean's when there the water is very deep. Except that these eyes had another kind of blue in them, a electric blue that lived up to its name. The electric blue ran in and out, always shifting, blinking in and out, like real lightning, it bled into the normal blue. Marking the man as anything but human, however beautiful those eyes were. Looking into them was distracting to say the least, since they paralyzed and disorientated humans who looked into them too long.  
  
'Those eyes! Their not, HE'S not human...' Inuyasha felt a small growl leaking out of his throat, "What is YOU'R kind doing here?!" he demanded. ''Kuso! I HATE his kind; they always meddle in things and more often than not just make things worse than before! I am NOT some human puppet that he can manipulate!'  
  
"Im here because I was sent to help you..." came the rumbly reply. Inuyasha groaned inwardly, 'Great, just what I needed a meddling God interfering with my love life... he said something about Kagome and Kikyo, something about it being to late. If anything happened to her...'  
  
"Well? Spit it out! What about Kagome and Kikyo?" Back to his fail safe defense of rudeness and a swelled ego he demanded an answer of the god. The man smiled slightly at his automatic jump to conclusions and continued...  
  
"Well you were worrying about not being able to protect them both and from each other. I was sent to help because things have really gone far enough, it is getting late into the game and you have still not figured out how things are supposed to go. So here I am! And my advice is this: you are going have to choose between the two women in your life."  
  
Stunned Inuyasha just sat there on his branch, of all the things that he had expected THAT was NOT what he thought the guy would come up with! Sputtering indignantly he blurted out, "But it's not that simple! I have obligations and-- and-- its not that simple! There's my past to be considered an-" He cut himself off in mortification of what he had just said. His tongue was NEVER that loose, something about that man had him talking as easily as if he were one of his close friends.  
  
Stopping abruptly Inuyasha looked at the man... REALLY looked at him with sharp eyes and saw that while he may have seemed kind, if a bit scattered and absent minded, he did have a stubbor chin and those strange eyes of his showed sharp intelligence and cunning hidden by the kindness, absentmindness power in them. And something else, there was something else about that man, something that made it seem like they were old friends or had at least met somewhere before.  
  
The man laughed at the sulking Inuyasha, his eyes shining with good humor and flashed with the knowledge that the boy was coming to close so early. The laughter faded from his face like water into soil, "It really is that simple son, it HAS to be..." Inuyasha felt his panic leave him as the man obviously didn't plan to either ridicule him or use it to his advantage only to have it return at his words.  
  
'Kagome or... Kikyo. How can I choose? I loved one once and now I love the other... how cruel is that? The fates have played a dirty joke this time! I belong to both, they both have my protection and my heart...'  
  
"Question is son, who has the bigger piece, who could you not live without?" Startled yet AGAIN by this strange man Inuyasha glared at him, obviously he could read his thoughts! He feverently hoped that he could not read his memories and hidden desires too, now THAT would be embarrassing! Chuckling the man waited for an answer, his eyes twinkling wickedly.  
  
"Feh!" Disgruntled Inuyasha turned his face toward the moon and ignored the man besides him, pretending that he was NOT able to read his mind, Inuyasha thought it over, 'I am in love with Kagome. I know that now, she accepts me for who I am. She was the first to do that and amazingly, ever since I met her she seems to pass that on to others, hell she got the entire fucking village to accept me! I've got some damn good friends because of her. She was the first to cry for me the night I got hurt in my human form taking down those spider demons... She takes it one step farther and LIKES what I am... she likes my ears (said ears twitched conceitedly, almost as if they knew that they were being admired). She LIKES that Im different...' Inuyasha smiled remebering the way she loves to play with them, then his face falls.  
  
'.... Kikyo never did. She never cried for me or worried about me or tried to protect me from my brother when I was hurt. She did touch my ears once... but then she started talking about making me human and never mentioned them again. It hurt. She wanted to change me, make me human. And I was desperate enough for some companionship that I let her talk me into it... Kikyo or Kagome? Both part of me, I met Kikyo first and I promised her my protection. But... I wasn't IN love with her.'  
  
"I was never in love with Kikyo?" Awed he slowly looked away from the previously fascinating air and turned to the man beside him. His eyes shone with that realization, emotions flew across their surface like ants on candy so you couldnt tell one from the other. Sighing heavily the man looked at the boys face and felt deep empathy for him, "I don't know if you did or didn't. In truth all I know is what Mother, Father and The Fates decreed." was the mans reluctant reply.  
  
His voice heavy he continued, "All I know son is that you and Kikyo were NEVER supposed to become lovers. You were placed together so that you would be able to comfort each other, you were both lonely... we figured that you would be able to help each other out. Needless to say things did not go as planned (his voice become heavier). We thought that you would become friends, she would get married have children and die. You see we always knew that Kagome would be her reincarnation--- we just didn't know HOW that would come to pass. The Fates work their ways without bothering to tell us the needed information. You think WE talk in riddles! Try listening to THEM, it's like drinking one drop at a time while your dying of thirst!"  
  
Shocked all Inuyasha could do was absorb what he was being told, "Believe me son, we didn't know that things would happen like this..." Inuyasha finally found his voice and croaked out his questions, "So we were never in love? Is that why she tried to change me?" His companion looked at him with unreadable eyes, "Sadly I think that you two WERE in love just not the right kind. You were both desperate for it and just sort of fell in love with being in love..." Inuyasha did not miss the hesitation in the mans voice but he also couldn't deny that his words rang true.  
  
"So you don't know for sure?" he asked hesitantly. "NO" was the equally hesitant reply. Inuyasha relaxed slightly, at least they didn't have FULL access to his being. The way he thought and felt were his own, 'But it still doesn't change the fact that I promised Kikyo my protection, the Goshinboku was witness to it!'  
  
Tired of the emotions running in the air and his own personal feelings the man got to the point, "Whomever you chose Inuyasha you must do it soon, it is time that the pain caused by this is put to an end. No son it's not just yours and theirs im talking about, although that is enough to choke up even this old man. Others will be hurt by this too, so be careful of who you choose but do it soon, you need to stop stringing them along--- it will only hurt more in the end. Things are in more turmoil than you think, people are in more pain than you think. She is strong but too much more of this and the damage might be irreparable..."  
  
And the man disappeared in a glow of painfully bright silver light, leaving a VERY worried Inuyasha turning over his parting words. As he thought things through he found his heart making his decision for him, as much as his past haunted him he had found a woman who accepted him for who he was. A woman from the future who didn't deserve the pain he was causing her. He had taken the Gods words to heart and had applied them to Kagome, he didn't know how she felt but that didn't matter. He knew how he felt and that was that! If anything happened to her... NO! He would gladly give his life for hers. Silently he resolved to keep her safe, happy and loved.  
  
Looking toward the village hidden in the field of trees in the horizon he made his way toward his choice, hoping that he wouldn't have to face Kikyo anytime soon. He didn't want THAT confrontation; he stubbornly pushed back the thought that until he made his peace with Kikyo he could never have what he wanted with Kagome. THAT was for another night. [END FLASHBACK]  
  
'Fuck! I did it again; I just know that I hurt her by leaving. She is not stupid and should have figured out my reason for leaving, or at least the person behind it. Damn he warned me about this, I just hope that Kagome isn't too mad at me... or worse. Hurt.  
  
Inuyasha felt guilt flowed over him in waves, 'Damn it I knew I should have woken her to tell her where I was going! It's been fuck knows how long, she must be worried sick by now. I should have gone back when I realized how long I was going to be gone!' Banging his head against the rock wall of the cave Inuyasha felt a sweet headache begin to form. It was more from his stupidity than from the pain. 'I need to ed this soon...' Exhausted after the mental and physical beating he gave himself Inuyasha let true sleep take him.  
  
~~~~~  
'Four days! Four FUCKING days and she is still not back!' He could tell by the bird's daily calls how many days had passed. 'What the fuck did she bring me out here for if she planned on just leaving me here!' Inuyasha paced back and forth in his little cage, those four days with only his imagination and worry to keep him company had combined to make him VERY edgy. At first he had thought that Kikyo wouldn't dare hurt his friends but then Miroku's words repeatedly floated back to him, about Kikyo's attack's on Kagome until he couldn't ignore or explain away her action. Then his imagination got the best of him. 'If she hurts Kagome... If she hurts one HAIR on her head promise or no promise she WILL answer to me!'  
  
Needless to say he was NOT in a good mood when Kikyo decided to show up. Inuyasha had his eyes closed with a pained expression on his face, banging his head on the cavern wall when Kikyo found him. Direct as ever she glided up to him and in her monotone voice continued as if no time had passed. When Inuyasha sniffed to try and find out where she had been all he got was her scent of earth, blood, old bones and souls.  
  
Fairly bristling and growling defiantly Inuyasha walked to the front of his "prison" so as to face her better. But one look at her and his resolve softened along with his eyes, but something in them made Kikyo narrow her eyes. 'That is NOT the same look he had before, something has changed...'  
  
"Inuyasha, Naraku is finally dead. It was not done by my hand but by that of my copy..." her eyes flashed icicles as she looked at him sharply so as to gauge his reaction better. "Where are the jewel shards? You were there when Naraku was killed, I know you had them last. Give them to me." As always her voice was cold and controlled.  
  
"You went through all this just for the shards? Why didn't you just ask me like you ususally do?" In his surprise he found his mouth running off without him and blurted out what he was thinking. Cursing himself he waited for her to answer him but when none came he went on ahead and told her what he knew. "Kikyo, Im sorry but I don't have them..." He regretted that he couldn't help her but he still felt that she was being a little extreme. 'I wouldn't have had to put Kagome through all this if she had just asked!'  
  
Enraged but still in control of herself Kikyo leaned in closer to her shield and to him, "Neither does that bitch. I have searched for her and found her gone, my copy and the shards. Vanished without a trace, tell me where I can find them so that I can finish her off and take the shards!" She was curious about his new reactions she decided to push some more out of him.  
  
"I have been searching for her but she has disappeared as well. She AND the jewel shards are gone from this place, you know where she and the shards are... tell me where I can find them! I am the rightful protector of them and they would not be safer in anybody's hands but my own. Give them to me!" The more she talked the more she felt her control slip, 'That should be me. I should be the one that put that look in his eyes. I would have been if I hadn't died, now all that I have is my duty. I will not fail.I will not havet that taken away from me as well.'  
  
Inuyasha felt his hackles rise and his spine straighten at the threat she made to Kagome, 'NOBODY hurts her, NOBODY!' The previous defeated look he had vanished in the blink of an eye, the spell she had on him was broken and he returned to his old arrogant self. [A/N: Not really a spell people just that dopey way he always acts around her ^.~]  
  
"Nani!? What did you do to her, you better not have laid a finger on her!" his upper lip curled slightly, letting his canines show, as he snarled out the question. Surprised at his outburst Kikyo felt her eyes widen slightly before she managed to get herself back under control, "All that over a COPY? Tell me Inuyasha does this girl mean more to you than I do? Does your promise mean nothing to you?" she drawled in her cold, even voice.  
  
With that said she turned around and glided out of the cave, leaving a very confused and enraged Inuyasha in the cave. "Hey, WAIT where are you going? What did you do to Kagome?! Let me OUT!" His frustrated demands were ignored, his anger ran hotter as he watched Kikyo continue walking away.  
  
He was pissed off and scared, he was missing Kagome fiercely, her warmth, the way they would play or cuddle alone during the day, their soft talks during the night, her scent... he missed it all. And he worried; the memory had brought several things to light. All the times he had run off without warning and although hurt she had forgiven him. Times he knew he should have been there and hadn't been. The it clicked, he might have chosen Kagome but he had still to tell her about his feelings.  
  
Worse yet he had almost marked her that night in the forest, hell he had almost mated her! Again he had acted selfishly, she didn't know the consequences. But he did. Remorse coursed through him at his stubbornness and impatience. Also the gods words had brought the worry that Kagome might not be as ok with things as she seemed, she might be hurt--- in more ways that one.  
  
After a week of the torture he had gone through after leaving Kagome his patience was worn down to a thread and watching Kikyo walk away after she had admitted to having tried to hurt Kagome, his control was stretched to the limit.  
  
Furious that he didn't know what was happening with Kagome and remembering Miroku's warning about the attacks on her Inuyasha felt his control slip. "What have you done to her?" he growled out between gritted teeth, before he quickly got a hold of it again.  
  
Startled that he had spoken so harshly to her, it quickly changed to annoyance that the first thing out of his mouth was about that girl AGAIN. She stopped and tuned back toward him, "That doesn't matter Inuyasha, what does are the jewel shards. I have looked everywhere for the missing shards, which I know came out of Naraku when he was destroyed. But have found that no one will talk, even with their houses laying in ruins on the ground they would not tell me." She stated mater of factly and for the first time Inuyasha found that irritating.  
  
'She's talking about hurting innocent people just so that she can get the shards, it doesn't matter that they don't know anything. Is she really that cruel?' Inuyasha felt him ragged control on the verge of breaking at those thoughts. That and the fact the he still didn't know if Kagome was ok, he didn't know if she might have gotten caught in the crossfire. That worry broke the little control he had.  
  
He still had his Tetsusaiga and that was the ONLY thing that kept him from turning all the way, fueled with rage on Kagome's behalf he shredded Kikyo's shield. But that still didn't explain where he got the energy and strength to break it. Stronger demons could not have done it, a full blooded youkai could not have done it. But Inuyasha did.  
  
~~~~~ BACK TO KAGOMES ERA  
It was Thursday morning and the day found Kagome running around trying to find the remains of her school work, getting dressed, and trying to eat at the same time without choking. She suddenly froze in the middle of swallowing some juice, stuffing her work into her backpack and pulling on her socks. As she unexpectedly felt a tug at her Miko powers, 'I thought I had them under control! All that training was so that they wouldn't escape like this again!' she panicked when she noticed a steady stream of her power flowing out of her and disappearing into the air a few feet in front of her.  
  
Coughing up the orange juice that got lodged in her throat Kagome waited for the usual feeling to dizziness to overcome her but it never came. Warily she finished up and left for school, pushing everything except school related stuff out of her mind. She had her usual workload and a handful of her friends to tutor in their "study group" after school. She did not have time for mysteries right then especially after that week's previous sessions.  
  
~~~~~OVER TO INUYASHA  
In his anger he lashed out at the wall at his back and found that Kikyo had neglected to shield the ENTIRE cave... or so he thought. She was always thorough so she HAD put some power into that wall, it was should have been enough to keep him prisoner. But Inuyasha didn't know that, he shredded the meters thick stonewall like so much paper along with her shields.  
  
Blinking at the sudden barrage of light on his dilated pupils Inuyasha looked around and found himself far from home. Kikyo was just a surprised as Inuyasha was from her spot on the cavern floor where the rebound of power from his escape had thrown her, 'My shield, how did he break my shield?' Finding his main barrier from Kagome gone the anger began to leak out of him and Inuyasha was able to think as calmly as he ever could.  
  
Kikyo got up and walked out of the immense hole he had left in the wall and continued toward him. "Inuyasha you made me a promise a long time ago, do you remember?" She asked when she stopped a few feet away in front of him. [A/N: Ok plz don't kill me but Im not making Kikyo evil in this fic. Iv read some of the summaries of the magnas and she still drags inu away allot but she doesn't do anything else. No stolen boyfriends, so no Im NOT making her evil. In fact I feel a little sorry for her.] Inuyasha looked down at her and felt his face fall however the gentleness in his face was countered by the determination in his eyes.  
  
"Hai, I remember." Sad, Kikyo felt her stomach knot at the tone in his voice but plowed on perversely, "Are you still willing to go to hell with me if it means that we can be together Inuyasha?" This time the determination was replaced by deep and utter pain in Inuyasha's eyes. "NO. Im sorry Kikyo but things just aren't meant to be. WE aren't meant to be. I will be glad to help you if I can when you need it but...' Inuyasha's voice was soft and gentle, knowing that if she had told him this 2 1/2 years ago he would have been hurt as well.  
  
Hell it hurt him now; she was a part of his past that would never go away. She was like his best friend-- his first real friend that he had to give up now. "We don't work Kikyo, you cant accept me as I am and I..." his voice broke then. "I need someone who can- and Iv found her. Please try and understan."  
  
For the first time in ages Kikyo felt tears fall down her face, they were silent tears. They were the tears of deep, long buried pain, but she knew that he was right. She DIDNT accept him as he was. He was fine as a friend and confidant but was he fine as more? No, she would always want someone normal to offset her heavy burden and Inuyasha brought more trouble with him than she did. He was right.  
  
She pointed directly at the setting sun, "Then the way home is to your right, it might take a few days but you should get there eventually..." with that her ever-present soul collectors lifted her up and away. Inuyasha looked at her sadly until she disappeared and then made his way home as fast as possible. Back to her, back to Kagome.  
  
~~~~~IN THE CLEARING  
'You were more cautious than I had thought with him.' The woman thought to her companion as they continued to watch the drama in the bowl of water. 'He knew me for what I was and it was not a dream where I could erase specific details and leave him with a sense of security and purpose. I had to be more careful, he knows our kind. Besides it is not in our best interest that they find out too soon about their parts in all this. Knowing him the boy would lock her up and take it on by himself. That would help nobody, besides the way things are going he will be too late...'  
  
The woman sighed and it sounded like air through a trees leaves, 'Your right, we must be more careful around him until the time is right...' and continued to watch the bowl in silence.  
  
************************************************************************ [Whistles loudly] There ya go! O.o 13 pages v/s my usual six! An extra long chappy cuz I made yall wait so long w/out warning. I was gonna cut the chap short but I DID promise you guys some answers so I had to squash everything into one, hence why its so long.  
  
I hope that I got the timeframes right-- always have a problem with those-- I hope that they werent too OOC, especially Kikyo. But Iv read what happens after Naraku downs her at Mt. Hakurei and she isn't so bad. After Kag helps bring her back to life she HELPS! I know it surprised me too! Gives inu a special arrow to give to kag n everything! So I figured shes not SO bad, right?  
  
Well now the secret as to why Inuyasha left AND who he chose is clear no? So that should make yall happy, although that doesn't mean that there's a happy-ever-after soon! Oh no im gonna torture 'em for a while MMUUUAA HHHAAA HHHHAAA HHHHHAAAAA.  
  
Oh and to my reviewers bunches of sweets and thankyou's. I luv u guys! [throws around easter candy] 


	13. KIDNAPPED!

Well you guys havent really mentioned what I did with Kikyo in that last chapter so I take it as a positive thinng I hope you fell the same with my surprise guest. Although by the end you might just kill me anyways.  
  
Oh and thank you to tiger, KenshinOtaku and everybody else who reviews I luv it when u guys review! ^_______^  
  
Disclaimer: Do I look like The Great Rumiko Takahashi to you? S'whut I thought. *************************************************************************  
  
Kidnapped!  
  
"Hey Yuka, that guy is TOTALLY checking you out!" Eri pointedly looked over her freinds shoulder, teasing her, who promptly started to whirl around to get a better look. "Don't look you baka!" she reprimanded and then continued her narration about what 'he' was doing.  
  
Meanwhile Ayumi was talking on her cell phone to her boyfriend in Tokyo University, "Yeha, Im so glad she's better now, although she looks worse than when she was sick! But I guess its just her nerves about the exams this week, meanwhile did you tell him yet?..."  
  
Add in Kagome's grandpa constantly dropping by to offer some advise in history (which usually turned into a hour long sermon) and Souta loudly playing video games at top volume, causing several of the boys and a couple of girls to get excited about the game and join in, to the constant stream of chatter from her classmates and you had complete and utter chaos. 'And no WAY to study' In Kagome's opinion, although everybody else didn't really seem to mind. Well except for her grandfathers speeches.  
  
The girls were sitting on the floor around the table in Kagome's living room with papers covering every inch while a couple of other people from Kagome's class loitered around in her house doing other various activities while pretending to work, including said boy from Yuka and Eri's conversation, because they had all felt Kagome's wrath when she found them NOT studying and worse yet-- keeping her from studying. She was scary when she was mad, malnutrition, sleep-deprived and anxious about finals, it was no surprise that she barked at almost everything. It didn't make her any less scary though.  
  
Although all that didn't stop them from going over to her house everyday for the last week, the prospect of the top student 'tutoring' them was too good an excuse to use on authority figures, especially when her place provided so much entertainment. Said entertainment was blaring at full volume in a corner of the small room.  
  
"Ha! Your dead, move OVER! My turn, ok Souta see if you can beat this!" a young girl pushed her brother out of the way roughly and tried her hand at the very loud game. "Your going down!" Souta replied and it was followed by the noises of the game accompanied by the onlookers opinions.  
  
"...So my great-great-great grandmother was this powerful Miko who lived during the... something or other era, anyways she served this powerful warlord. She helped him win several battles but got no credit for it because his wife was jealous and had her hunted--" her grandfather was telling a smal knot of Kagome's classmates when a girl with short blond hair tentatvily intterupted him. "Um sir? What had this got to do with--" she asked him before he cutted in rudely. "Don't interrupt your elders missy! Now, where was I? Oh yes..." and off he went. The little group sighed as one as they were forced to listen to another hour of his crazy stories.  
  
Listening to the racket around her had Kagome fuming in her seat on the carpet as she continued staring at the same sentence in front of her, 'I cant concentrate with all this noise! Argh! Iv been staring at this sentence for the last ten minutes!' When the doorbell rang, it was like the answer to her prayers; fleeing from the noise areound her Kagome promptly jumped up and went to answer it.  
  
'I need to concentrate! How can I do that when all they do is make noise? I knew we should have met at the library, but noooo. Yuka had to go and invite everybody to my house! Now I cant get any work done!' Her silent ranting was cut short when she opened the door and who to find on her doorstep except the last person Kagome wanted to see right then... Hojo..  
  
~~~~~OVER IN FEUDAL JAPAN  
It was late evening that Monday and Inuyasha was resting by a river, he was cooking some fish and trying to figure out a way to keep from getting sat all the way back to the future when he saw Kagome next. He was tired and hungry, for all his demon strength he was exhausted from the events of the last week. And not a little scared of what Kagome would do to him when he faced her. Not that he would ever admit that to anybody.  
  
'Fuck, I just know that she's gonna be mad. She better not have gone back home or Ill drag her skinny ass all the way back here! *mental sight* Although I wouldnt blame her if she HAD gone back mad, hell Id be mad if she went of with Kouga!' That thought brought a snarl to his lips, 'Kouga better not be anywhere NEAR Kagome!'  
  
He was tron between rushing back to see how she was, if she was ok, mad, worried, ANYTHING just as long as he could see her. And taking his sweet time in getting there for fear that she WOULD be mad and not afraid to take her anger out on him. Little did he know that his decision would be made for him.  
  
Thinking about her angry him shiver in fear at her anger and brought a small smile to his lips, 'Gods she's beutiful when she's angry!' He lifted his chin proudly, 'Thats my Kagome, strong as any youkai!' He would never admit it to anybody, least of all himslef, that LIKED fighting with her-- well maybe not the "sit's"... It was invigorating-- although he always seemed to loose, but that didnt matter, it was still fun.  
  
Inuyasha was sitting by his small fire eating his dinner, he was so lost in his thoughts that he never saw the demon until it was too late...  
  
~~~~ BACK TO KAGOME'S ERA  
She groaned silently, 'Great, just what I need! Another excuse for my friends to keep me from studying! I wonder how long it'll take them this time to try and set us up."  
  
"Hey Kagome, I heard that you were back in school to take the finals and despite feeling better were looking a bit ill, so I thought Id drop by and offer my support. You know, help you to study what might be on the test and stuff." He smiled pleasantly at her, before bringing a basket full of aroma therapy oils and one of those machines that played calming music all night from behind his back and presenting it to her.  
  
Feeling horrible at her thoughts, especially since he was always super nice to her and constantly bringing her things to aid her "illnesses", Kagome sheepishly accepted his gift. They stood there awkwardly for a minute as she held the gift in her arms and berated herself before remembering her manners and invited him in. No sooner had Kagome moved out of the way and gave everybody a clear view of who it was at the door that Ayumi, Yuka and Eri all stopped what they were doing and pretended to work so they could hear better. "Ooo, I gotta go. Ill call you later!" and Ayumi promptly hung up before joining the others "studying".  
  
"So, um, Hojo. Are you sure you should be here right now? I mean you've got to have finals soon too right? Do you really have the time to come her to help me with some silly high school exams, when you've got college to worry about?" Kagome asked hesitantly, she REALLY didn't want to deal with her friend's matchmaking schemes right then. 'After four days of their idea of studying I really don't want ANOTHER distraction' she thought frustrated.  
  
On cue all three of her friends groaned inwardly, here she had THE hottest guy, ever to grace their school (AND he was in college!) and she was just gonna throw away the opportunity to have him all to herself for most of the week for some "one on one tutoring" how dense could she be?!  
  
"Oh don't worry about that Kagome, I got all my classes settled. The exams are a week after yours so there's no problem with me being here. Don't worry about it!" Hojo responded cheerfully [A/N: no I am not going to make Hojo a total and complete moron or a jerk. I think he's just REALLY nice, not stupid-- if any of the other characters except the bad-guys are anything to go by. So that's how he will be in this fic.^_^]  
  
"Oh, ok sure." She responded surprised at his easy answer, "Just sit down somewhere in the living room and Ill be right back, I gotta go put this up-" Kagome was interrupted by her friends who had had enough of her blowing ANOTHER perfectly good alone-time with Hojo. They all grabbed her and dragged her away from him into a corner of the room before she completly blew it... unfortunately it was near Souta. In the videogame section.  
  
"Kagome, what is WRONG with you?! Don't you see what a great opportunity this is to be alone with Hojo?" Yuka hissed, "Yeha Kagome, if you play your cards right he just might ask you out! I mean I would thank the stars that he's even here and not mad at you for all the times you stood him up, speaking of standing him up whatever happened to that jerk of a boy-friend you had---" Eri went on and on in her usual manner while the toher two nodded in agreement. None of them seemed to notice the dangerous way Kagome's eye was twitching.  
  
The last straw was when a girl and her boyfreind got into a wrestling match complete with shouting from the onlookers over who won the game, causing the noise level to raise several notches as her grandfather had to raise his voice to be heard as well. *twitch, twitch, twitch*  
  
The girl was standing up with a foot on his head and yelling at him when he caught her ankle and flipped her onto her back. Causing her to knock a glass of water out of another boys hands which JUST happened to spill all over Kagome. With her hair plastered to her head, a vein popping on her forehead, Eri's insistent chatter in her ear and the rest of noise in the room roaring at her Kagome felt her last sliver of paitence rapidly eroding. *twitch, twitch, twitch, twitch, twitch*  
  
Souta had noticed that his sister had "that look" on her face and high-tailed it outta there, the other poor suckers were left on their own to suffer his sisters wrath. No sooner had he made it out of the room that Kagome exploded. With Ayumi asking her (when Eri was between breaths) when she had gone to take a bath, Kagome let out days worth of tension.  
  
"QUIET!!" everybody faltered and suddenly froze when they saw the look on her face. "BETTER YET GET OUT! OUT, EVERYBODY OUT!" Shit. She was pissed off. They had seen her blow up before but not to that degree. Nobody wanted to meet her eyes with that look in them, Kami help the fool who actually got the full brunt of her rage. [A/N: hehe, poor Inuyasha]  
  
"I DONT CARE WHERE YOU GO JUST GET OUT OF MY HOUSE AND AWAY FROM ME!! OUT, OUT, OUT!!!!!" *Her head had that big bubble look and she had sprouted fangs with evil looking eyes* Kagome all but growled out the words. Her classmates stared at her, frozen, for a minute before they ran out and left nothing but a trail of dust in the wake. Kagome sighed in relief, 'Peace and quiet at last!'  
  
That is, everybody left except Eri, Yuka, Ayumi and Hojo, who they had trapped in their hold of doom. The poor boy was starring at her wide- eyed, almost as if seeing her for the first time, in awe of her and a little scared. Her friends however weren't as easily run off, Ayumi whispered conspiratorly in her ear in a not so secret whisper, "Here's your chance to be alone with Hojo, don't blow it!" And then promptly gave the sign, the other two let Hojo go then they too left in a cloud of dust.  
  
Kagome felt a headache coming on, but she also felt bad about being so rude to everybody so she resigned herself to Hojo's help. 'Its going to be a looong week'...  
  
~~~~~BACK TO FEUDAL JAPAN  
Over in the village Kaede and Miroku were seeing to the injured, while Sango went around surveying the damage and Shippo played with the children to keep them occupied with Kirara in tow. For all that he was still a child himself he would do his best before letting something happen to even one of them and he did have Kirara's protection.  
  
Besides its wasn't like they could do anything to help, soooo they used that time to get the quirks out of their plan. Little Asa-Taiyo, dragging the now raggedy bear Kagome had given her wherever she went, told Shippo HER plan and they all had to agree. She was good!  
  
~~~~  
Looking around and shielding her eyes from the afternoon sun Sango sighed in relief, nothing was to badly damaged and they should have the place good as new by the end of the week not to mention that she had just been informed that there were no serious casualties. So after spending all that morning taking inventory she switched tactics and started to help gather new supplies to help them reconstruct some of the buildings Kikyo had decimated with her arrows.  
  
As she worked Sango narrowed her eyes angrily, 'Sure none of them are poor but they are still farmers who's lives depend on the things they grow! Kikyo destroyed some of the buildings that they stored their food in, Kagome was right to take the Jewel with her. I do not want that woman near such power, although it is odd that she attacked with such force...' Grunting slightly from the weight Sango helped lift a wall for a new building and went on with her work, deciding to talk it over with Miroku later.  
  
~~~~IN KAGOME'S TIME  
Kagome belly flopped down onto her bed after an evening with Hojo and felt better than she had all last week, he had managed to calm her fears and actually help her with her problem areas. 'I had forgotten how calming Hojo can be, he says the nicest things too...' she smiled slightly at the way he made her understand a bothersome math problem without making her feel like a complete moron. 'It really does help that he's in college...'  
  
For the first time in over a week Kagome had a full nights rest, comforted by the thought that she had Hojo there to help her through the evil that was her finals. Her slightly damp hair fanned out around her and billowed as she sighed wistfully once more.  
  
Now that her family was home, she never knew who would come barging into her room unexpectantly so she was forced to done a pair of cotton shorts. With a full belly and the slight breeze coming from her open window she ignored the yern for her freedom of the few days that her family was gone and curled up happily, falling promptly asleep.  
  
Not five minutes later Mrs. Higurashi heard a knock on the door, frowning slightly she went to answer it. She sighed with relief when she saw who it was. "Dad, what are you doing out at this hour?" She asked him, worried and a little amused as she already had a pretty good guess as to the answer.  
  
"Humph, I just decided to take a walk!" Her lips twitched as she tried not to smile, "From four in the afternoon to eleven at night? And without any dinner?" she prodded wickedly, "No, I ate a couple of crackers I found in my pocket!" her told her defensivly. "Oh? Well do you want a proper dinner?" she asked casually as she walked toward the kitchen. "Hai" But he still didnt move, she turned and lookled at him expectantly. "Umm, Kaome isnt- you know, up. Is she?" he asked her twitching slightly.  
  
That urge to smile was killing her but she managed to answer, "Iie" before turning asround and smiled like a chesire cat. Her eyes danced with mischief as she heard his sigh if relief, she quickly schooled her face as his footsteps caught up with her in the kitchen.  
  
~~~~~  
Kagome and Hojo used what was left of the week to study like crazy for her exams that Thursday and Friday.  
  
Despite her friends constant interruptions they made excellent progress and Kagome felt confident when she walked into her first class to take her finals. 'Arigato, arigato, arigato! Im so lucky that Hojo took the tests last year and remembers what was on them! Im sure that with his help I at least wont fail the exams,' she thought gratefully.  
  
'Although I wish that I hadn't wasted so much time dealing with everybody...' she sighed regretfully before squaring her shoulders, sitting down at her assigned seat and waited patiently for her sensei to tell them to begin...  
  
~~~~~  
Slightly hollow eyed from all the studying and then the actuall finals themselves Kagome ran out of school of Friday and found Hojo waiting for her with a big smile and a box of food on a bench outside the mob that were her classmates. Giddy with relief and happiness at the end of the torture of the last two weeks Kagome ran into Hojo and gave him a massive bear-hug causing the boy to blush furiously and her friends to give themselves prideful pats on the backs for a job well done with those two.  
  
Oblivious to Hojo and her friends points of view Kagome pulled out of Hojo's arms and proceeded to stuff herself with the food he had brought for her: takoyaki [spelling?]. Her friends sweat dropped, happy to have their kagome back but feeling that maybe they should have left things alone as they remembered some of her odd ways. But hey, that was why they loved her so they overlooked it. Especially when they noticed that Hojo was leading her off to the park for a walk. ALONE!!  
  
"Ooo I wonder if he's gonna ask her to go to prom with him?" Ayumi told her friends excitedly, "I don't know, its not for another month or so." Yuka told her, "Oh, well then maybe a regular date. What do you think Eri?" Ayumi asked the star-eyed girl. "Hmm? Oh I hope so! They're so cute together; I don't know what Kagome sees in that ex of hers. But there's no way he could be cuter than Hojo!" She was so happy for her friend, who was finally getting it right. The other two just nodded in agreement.  
  
[A/N: wasn't sure if Kagome should be a little odd but figured why not? It has been three years, things had to of changed! From freshman to senior, BIG difference! And she is a little odd in the anime with her fav food and all. Plus all the odd things she does to cover up the other part of her life]  
  
~~~~~  
Once they were walking in the park, alone, Kagome was fairly humming with excitement and happiness at the food-- it HAS been two weeks where she hasn't thought if anything except the exams-- Hojo decided to get on with it.  
  
Kagome was happily chewing her food and thinking how wonderful it was to have time to be able to enjoy it when Hojo stopped and suddenly turned to her. "Umm... Kagome? Iv was wondering if you would want to go out this weekend. I mean since you've worked so hard lately." He was sure that she would say yes, 'We've been practically going out since her freshman year. Despite the fact that I don't see her that often, I wish she wasn't so sick all the time though.'  
  
'This weekend? I was planning on going back to feudal Japan this weekend... I don't want to be rude or lie to him but I miss everybody and well, I guess he's really not my type. There's got to be some way of getting out of this without being rude...' suddenly inspiration struck and Kagome crossed her fingers hoping to whoever was listening that it would work.  
  
"What about your exams Hojo? Didn't you say that they were next week, shouldn't you be studying this weekend?" Kagome prodded. Hojo thought about her non-answer and took it for concern instead of denial, "You know you're probably right. I really do need to study, I've been neglecting my work lately... but It should be ok for a couple of hours while we go to dinner don't you think so Kago--" He stopped abruptly as she wavered on her feet for a bit and then collapsed onto the pavement.  
  
He barley managed to keep her from hitting her head before he scooped her up and worriedly took her home. Meanwhile Kagome was feeling horrible about this form of lying to him but felt it must be done, she missed her friends in the past and wanted to talk with Kaede about her powers. So she stubbornly pushed the guilt to the back of her head.  
  
Hojo thought about taking her to the hospital but it was way too far and her family should know what to do with her so he took her home.  
  
~~~~~  
Mrs. Higurashi nearly had a heart attack at the sight of her daughter limp in Hojo's arms, but calmed down when she caught Kagome's wink. Laughing silently in relief and amusement she had him deposit her on her bed and promptly sent him away with many thankyou's and laughing eyes.  
  
'Hmm, poor woman she was clearly holding back tears for Kagome's health. I hope she is well enough to got to graduation tomorrow, it would be so sad if after all that hard work she misses her own graduation ceremony' Hojo thought as he walked away, completely misreading the look in her eye's.  
  
~~~~  
When she went to go check on her daughter she smiled at the kawaii picture she made all sprawled out on her bed with the pictures she had developed two weeks ago spread out around her with a small smile on her lips as she caught up on her sleep. Her smile widened when she heard the whispered name that came from her lips, "Inuyasha".  
  
Eyes fairly dancing she went to ready her daughter's backpack for the return trip that was sure to come. Adding a couple of her own touches to the pack, she had a feeling that things had changed between her and Inuyasha and she decided to take some precautionary measures.  
  
She wanted grandchildren with those cute little doggy eares but not for a couple of years yet. She really should talk to Kagome about her college applications. After all when she hadn't made it in time to answer them she had gone ahead and told them to please hold her scholarships until the following year. She was SURE that her daughter's adventures were not yet over.  
  
~~~~~  
That night Kagome woke to a dark room and glossy photographs all around her, the sight of her family in the past brought up a painful sense of nostalgia and she resolved to go back the next day. Getting up stiffly Kagome went to take a shower, eat and talk to her mother about her plans.  
  
However her plans were thwarted when she found out that tomorrow was her graduation ceremony, however much she wanted to leave she wouldn't deny her mother the chance to see her get her diploma so she revised her plans to go back the day after.  
  
~~~~~IN FEUDAL JAPAN-That Saturday  
'Stupid demon thought he was a match for me! Keh! As if, although the stupid beast did manage to knock me out for a day right before I destroyed him. Now Im even more behind than ever, It'll be ANOTHER three days before I reach the Village with these injury's!' Inuyasha fumed at this carelessness, his desire to get to Kagome had overridden his senses, as usual when it came to her, and he been blind sighted by the other demon causing him to loose three days while his body recovered.  
  
~~~~~OVER TO KAGOME'S TIME  
That Sunday morning Kagome was exhausted after the previous days celebrating with her family and then with her friends, her graduation ceremony had run long and then the actual celebrations had gone on even longer. The day had been a blast up until the end when Hojo had decided to corner her and asked about prom, again; luckily it had been at her house so her friends didn't interfere.  
  
Bless Souta; he had come to her rescue. She really didn't want to miss the chance to go to feudal Japan for the whole summer and she didn't feel up to going to prom either. To complicate things even more Hojo didn't seem to get that and since he had always been especially nice to her she didn't want to hurt him.  
  
Every time she had tried to let him down easy he had acted like a barrier surrounded him and her words seemed to bounce of him... kinda like Kouga come to think of it. She had tried to tell him that she was unreliable, prone to running of, didn't have time to go on dates and so on. But with her friends insistent pushing and Hojo's own thick headedness it just hadn't gotten through. But after years of going on dates with him when her friends were in trouble she had learned that it was best just to avoid him. Easier said than done.  
  
Souta, who was fiercely loyal to Inuyasha, and smarter than should be allowed for someone who ws all of 13 years old had long ago deducted that those two should be together. So he had been more than happy to help his sister get rid of the unwanted attention from Hojo. So with a flustered and radioactive Kagome standing nearby he had told Hojo that she wasn't interested... since she was gay.  
  
Hey she was still his sister and so he had the divine right to tease her mercilessly. Kagome on the other hand had nearly had a heart attack at her brothers help but it turned out that it had worked. Hojo had looked dejected for about a minute before he had bounced back and agreed that that did explain several odd things about her. He had left happy and perfectly friendly toward Kagome, she however was torn between gratitude toward her brother, relief at being rid of Hojo and complete and utter horror of what had happened.  
  
In the end she had accepted that since she wasn't going to prom and the school term was over she was free from having to answer uncomfortable questions that might arise so she had decided on gratitude toward her brother with a slight plan for revenge. His girlfriend would love to see his stuffed rag doll from his childhood, which was tucked under his pillow!  
  
In the end all the stress in the world couldn't stop her from leaving the next day for the past. So on Saturday evening her family saw her off in the well house and with a cheery goodbye she jumped in and waited to be engulfed in the familiar wave of blue light.  
  
She floated in soft blue light for a minute and when the light faded and she landed softly on the ground at the bottom of the well, she was in the past again.  
  
Excited to be able to talk to her family in feudal Japan once more she made her way to the top of the well hauling her immense backpack up with her, happy that she had worn pants and not that cumbersome skirt. 'No more peeking from Miroku, no more worrying about how I sit and no more scratches all over my bare legs from walking all over the country!'  
  
As she neared the top of the well at a snails pace she felt a strong hand wrap around her wrist and pull her out. Thinking that it was Inuyasha Kagome didn't fight the hand but did stiffen slightly, she knew she would have to face him again, better sooner than later. However awkward the conversation she was determined to be polite.  
  
However she didn't expect the owner of the other hand to wrap around her mouth and run off with her into the night...  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Dun, dun, dun! Kag's been captured! What will happen next? Stay tuned for the next episode to find out!  
  
So how was that? Its hard to write when their in two different eras ya know, I hope its clear enough though and nobody got lost along the way. I know that Inuyasha wasn't in this one that much but he'll be in the next one. It's where Kag meets the kidnappers, Kouga comes into the picture and Inuyasha FINALLY makes it back to the village! Although too bad for him Kagome's is already gone, OOooo and Kaede and the villagers wont tell him anything cuz their mad at him! ^.^ For hurting Kagome of course! It might be a comedy chappi what with the kiddies plan and all.  
  
Go on, push the little button  
  
Puush iit, puuush iiiit.  
  
just move your mouse  
  
a little lower.  
  
N click! 


	14. A DEAL IS STRUCK

Im am SO sorry! I had the best intentions on posting earlier but things didn't work out, I know I left yall with a major cliffie n im sorry!!!! I swear that I don't plan them they just sort of happen, I know that's just plain weird, all I can say is im sorry! Honest, but heres the much-awaited chapter, yay! Although you might just kill me anyways cuz its not much, or ground breaking unless you were just DYING to know who ran off with Kagome ^.~  
  
Disclaimer: Nope, still working on it. That and time travel ^__^ ************************************************************************  
  
A DEAL IS STRUCK  
  
~~~~~ IN THE CLEARING  
The man suddenly laughed out loud, it was a deep rumbling laugh that the woman felt vibrating through the earth and up her hands as they sat watching the bowl of water, as usual. Despite herself she felt a small smile tug at her own lips. "Things just got a little more interesting wouldn't you say?" The tall man asked as he turned to look at her, his strange electrical eyes crackling with amusement, the electricity running rapidly over his eyes.  
  
She turned her own vibrant green eyes to him and nodded, lips twitching in amusement as well, together the two turned to look into the bowl once more.  
  
~~~~~ THE FEUDAL ERA  
Once she was pulled out of the well Kagome barely felt her feet touch the ground, she was immediately turned away from whoever it was that had helped her out and tugged against a broad, muscular chest. The same hand that had been on her wrist trapped her arms at her sides as it wrapped around her waist while the other hand clamped onto her mouth.  
  
Surprise and confusion shining in her eyes Kagome suddenly felt the arm around her waist lift her up smoothly and start running off with her. Her eyes, widened to twice their normal size, registered that she was being carried into Inuyasha forest. They darted all over the place in panic as seemingly flying branches came at her and then were passed by effortlessly. Deeper and deeper into the forest he carried her. For it was most definitely a he.  
  
She tried to scream but the broad hand effectively muffled her shouts, shock had long ago worn out, replaced by panic and fury was closing in fast. 'I just wanted to see my family! After the hell that I went through these last two weeks I deserve some peace! But nnoooo not even 30 seconds into the feudal era and Iv been kidnapped by a demon! How do I get myself into these things?'  
  
As her temper got the better of her Kagome felt her power stir deep within her, and she suddenly didn't feel so overwhelmed. Smiling slightly against the clawed hand across her mouth Kagome shielded, hard. The force of her shield yanked her out of her captors hold as she rapidly increased its diameter. Carried by the edge of her shield he went flying into the shadows, as Kagome dropped to the ground on her butt amid the maze of closely packed, shadow-darkened trees.  
  
Breathing heavily Kagome looked around and found herself deep in the forest, 'I must be in the heart of Inuyasha forest. The trees are so dense that the moonlight doesn't penetrate the canopy. I can't see anything! How are you going to find your way out of this one girl?'  
  
Using the trunk of a nearby tree for support she hoisted herself up shakily and looked around, trying to see where the demon had been, but was met with only darkness. An ominous rustling behind her caused Kagome to spin around wildly, her eyes peeled. She searched the shadows frantically but to no avail, they were too thick. 'I couldn't see my hand an inch away from my nose, it's so dark!'  
  
Slightly panicky again, Kagome felt the darkness closing in on her. Aware of the fact that she would be stuck if she stayed there, shield or no shield and that if she ran she would be defenseless since her shields were immobile. Her common sense battled with her utter terror of what lay in the dark and her confidence waned. In the end the sound of the demon moving around caused her to bolt, abandoning her shield she ran into the forest. Forgetting the fact that she could sense the demon AND how to get out of the forest.  
  
She ran blindly into the balmy forest night, running into stray branches, roots, bushes and other foliage. After five minutes of frenzied running every inch of exposed skin was scratched, 'Crap! This is getting me nowhere! Help isn't coming since nobody knows I'm here so it up to me..."  
  
As her confidence started to come back to her she ran into a low branch, her momentum threw her against the limb, slapping it against her stomach, lengthwise. It drove the wind out of her and threw her onto her back.  
  
Dazed for a minute she just lay on the soft, springy, earth floor and slowly relearned how to breathe. As she lay there, breathing sporadically, the odd trickling sensation she had felt while running suddenly solidified and her eyes sprang open in horror. 'Baka! How could I have been so stupid! I can sense the village--I can get out of here...' At that realization another quickly followed, 'Iv also been running in circles! Urgghh.'  
  
With some difficulty she heaved herself to her feet and concentrated on finding the village, as she stood trying to home in on the villagers auras something kept distracting her, it was like a fly buzzing in here minds-ear. Exasperated and unable to ignore it any longer she refocused her energy to swat it away and froze.  
  
There, at the end of her range was the demon... and he wasn't alone.  
  
~~~~  
Sango stood with big Kirara outside Kaede's hut; something had been bothering the neko-youkai for the last half hour. She was restless and kept looking off into the forest with worried eyes, suddenly Miroku looked up from the fire he had been tending and stood up hastily, his eyes locked on Inuyasha forest. Not ten seconds later a faint scream penetrated the air, a scream they all recognized. "That sounds like Kagome!" Shippo exclaimed from Kirara's back. All four ran off in the direction the scream had come from...  
  
~~~~  
'Their closing in rapidly, there's no way that I can make it out of the forest in time! What to do?' As she contemplated her options she felt the demons approaching from both sides and she let out a frustrated scream that echoed through the forest while throwing up a shield as the demons ran at her, expanding it so that they not only ran into it but were thrown back as it continued to grow.  
  
This time she had put more power into her shield, for the demons it must have been like running head first into an oncoming wrecking ball and being electrocuted at the same time. They both flew off the ground and into the forest at breakneck speed, like two magnets repelling each other and disappeared into the shadows.  
  
Her shield did her another favor, it managed to pry loose enough branches so that a few faint slivers of moonlight penetrated the foliage and fell around her.  
  
Kagome stood in a shield several meters wide, she felt them slowly get to their feet and face her. This time she did not panic. Her confidence in her shields was strong, 'if Tetsusaiga couldn't break it before they sure cant break it now.' It was as she stood there, panting slightly while trying to catch her breath after her blind sprint through the forest, that the demons surprised her again.  
  
She was calmer now that her confidence in herself was back, 'I am not helpless and can take care of myself. I can do this--' "K-Kagome?" one of the demons asked timidly, breaking her mantra. 'What? How do they know my name? Who are these demons?' Curious she strained to see into the forests shadows for the speaker.  
  
"Its us sister, Hakkaku and Ginta, we- were from Kouga's tribe. Forgive us for frightening you, we only meant t--" he was cut off as Hiraikotsu came flying at them. Since the trees were so dense all Sango's attack did was clear away more trees, creating space so that there was more light to see by, which was a good and bad thing. Their fears confirmed at the sight of Kagome surrounded by strange demons, the others immediately started to attack the two.  
  
Confused Kagome just stood there as her friends appeared out of thin air around her and the demons, 'They said they came from Kouga's tribe! Why did they kidnap me though? What is going on, where did everybody come from?' Sango once again threw Hiraikotsu as Kirara let out a stream of fire at the two wolf demons. "No!" Kagome didn't want anybody hurt and though they had scared her those two hadn't actually hurt her.  
  
She was torn in two by her desire to keep anyone from getting hurt. One part of her shielded the two demons and another did an odd thing with her shields, since that was her best active power.  
  
The result was that Kirara's fire went around Kouga's friends, dispersing the darkness some more by setting a couple of trees on fire, so that the clearing was brightly lit. While Hiraikotsu, surrounded in a iridescent purple light, froze inches from Hakkaku's back as he lay in a fetal position on the ground.  
  
Kagome blinked in surprise, 'Since when can I do that? And why is there any sign of my power?' Frowning slightly Kagome noticed that her shield was noticeably smaller. Her powers had acted on their own again, leeching some of her energy, so that her shields were diminished considerably. They were now barley big enough to hold the people they protected.  
  
'......' Was what everybody was thinking as the scene before them blossomed into full view. Ginta and Hakkaku were huddled in two tiny shields, their skin inches from the body-molded shields, at polar opposite sides of Kagome. Her concentration broken, Hiraikotsu fell to the ground with a dull thud. After, the only sound was that of Hakkaku and Ginta's occasional whimpering as everybody still stood frozen at the sight of Hiraikotsu frozen in midair.  
  
Stopping Sango's weapon had taken more out of her than she had previously thought so when her shields suddenly evaporated and Kagome once again fell to her knees into the soft dirt all she had to say was: "Hey guys, Im back" rather sheepishly, before collapsing on the ground in exhaustion as the last of her shields faded away.  
  
~~~~  
When Kagome next woke up Shippo was snuggled cozily into her stomach and she was lying near a cozy fire. Confusion ran through her, "Wh-what happened?" she asked groggily to nobody in particular. Shippo immediately stirred from her side and hugged her fiercely, "Don't worry Kagome Its gonna be ok, Sango and Miroku are taking care of those demons." He hurried to reassure her, 'What? No, they didn't do anything...' she stiffly stood up and looked around. She quickly found her quarry; the two demons were surrounded by Sango, Miroku and Kirara, looking more that a little panicky themselves.  
  
She hurried over to them with Shippo clasped onto her shirt, "Wait you guys, they didn't do anything to me except scare me. This is a misunderstanding, their from Kouga's tribe, lets hear them out. Please." She grasped the fur on Kirara's neck, leaning on her slightly, still weak from the use of her power and all excitement.  
  
Sango immediately saw that her friend was exhausted, she hurried over to her and with Kirara's help they made their way to the fire. Miroku reluctantly lowered his staff and followed the girls, leaving the two cowering demons to follow warily.  
  
Once they were all seated comfortably around the fire everybody looked at the newcomers expectantly, who threw anxious looks at each other before turning back to the humans. Several minutes of tense silence followed before Sango had had enough, "If you're really from Kouga's pack, like you said you were, then why isn't Kouga here with you? Im sure that he wouldn't miss an opportunity to run into Kagome or show-up Inuyasha, so why are you really here? What's going on?"  
  
Gulping visibly Ginta answered her, "Well you see, Kouga isn't here because he doesn't know that were here. We-were not supposed to be here, were supposed to be following Kouga in his search for Kagura... but two days ago we ran into a messenger from a nearby pack who told us that the trouble with our own people has been getting worse."  
  
"You see ever since Kagura massacred our brethren Kouga has been hunting her and Naraku, consequently it takes him away from the pack most of the time. He hasn't been home for more than a week at a time and several months in between. For four years trouble has been brewing in our pack, without Kouga around to discipline them its gotten worse... lately there's been talk of a rebellion." The deeper they delved into their story the more troubled they became.  
  
"It's not unusual to have some of the pack disagree with the current ruler but this time it's serious. Without Kouga there to keep the peace and punish those who get out of line the pack is unraveling and the troublemakers are getting more and more support for their cause. But Kouga doesn't see this; he insists that nobody is fool enough to challenge him. He continues to ignore the pack, that is what has most of our brothers so worried... including us." Hakkaku finished in a heavy whisper.  
  
They stopped their narration to look around the campfire and see the humans' reactions, to see if they understood the magnitude of the situation. What they saw on everybody's shadowy face was not comforting. "If Kouga doesn't put a stop to this or does something to appease the pack things could get nasty. They could challenge him continuously and eventually he would fall! Kouga is very strong, he is easily the best fighter in the pack, but even he would fall if they challenge him nonstop." Ginta told them fervently, willing them to see the full extent of the problem.  
  
"He could die." Hakkaku stated plainly, that had the effect they desired. A touchable silence hung over the small group as they worked throughout the information just thrown at them.  
  
Sango had stiffened at the demons words; out of the five of them she was perhaps the one who understood the situation best. As a demon exterminator she was well aware of allot of demons lifestyles, and knew that Kouga had put himself in a bad situation.  
  
Stunned, Kagome turned to look at Sango. "Nani? Why would they kill Kouga? Why not just overthrow him and be done with it?" Sango sighed, "Because Kagome, in order for them to put a new leader in place, the old leader has to be beaten in a fight to the death by the challenger. By the way that Hakkaku and Ginta describe things the pack would simply challenge Kouga endlessly until he was too tired and careless put up a decent fight. Its suicide to challenge him when he's fresh but once the others wear him down it's only a matter of time before one of them gets lucky and Kouga is killed." Sango told her friend softly, her gaze never wavering from the flickering firelight.  
  
"But that's not fair, the challenger would be fresh while he's worn out from the previous battle!" Kagome wailed, looking at Ginta. "That's the point, sister." Hakkaku whispered, "Could- couldn't Kouga just refuse and tell them to come back later after he's rested or something?" she asked desperately, Sango sighed heavily beside her and tried to make her understand. "Iie, Kagome. He can't refuse. Its part of being the leader, he can't refuse ANY challenge. This technique is a old one, its something that cannot be changed. Gomen-nasi, Kagome."  
  
The two wolf demons looked at the taijiya respectfully while Kagome warred with herself over what to do. 'I HAVE to help Kouga! He's my friend and Im sure that he would help me if I needed it... I cant just leave him to handle this all alone, not when he's too stubborn to realize that he might be way over his head on this-' decided she straightened her back. "How can I help?"  
  
"You-you'll help us sister, really?" they asked her eagerly. "Hai, Ill do whatever I can to help." Kagome reassured them, shifting uncomfortably at the foreboding feeling in her stomach at their choice of words.  
  
Miroku winced at her choice of words, 'If this is going where I think it is, Kami help those two. Sango's punches hurt! As for Kagome... [He shuddered slightly] this is going to be entertaining if nothing else.' Hakkaku and Ginta, who didn't know the girls as well as Miroku, looked like little kids to who Christmas had come early.  
  
The two let out twin breaths and instantly relaxed for the first time in days. "We promise that you wont have to do much! Once you mate Kouga all will be fine, you just have to insist on staying with the pack and then Kouga will be forced to stay as well! Once he sees the extent of the packs rebellion he will set everything straight and the supporters will fall away since what they wanted was Kouga there in the first place! And after you give him a couple of pups things should calm down and why are you all looking at us like that?"  
  
They had voiced all that in one eager breath and in their eagerness they had failed to notice the effect of their words on the gang. It was explosive, once they got over their shock.  
  
~~~~~ OVER TO INUYASHA  
Meanwhile Inuyasha was making a beeline for the village but was still too far way to make a difference, let alone aware of what was taking place in his absence.  
  
~~~~~ BACK TO THE GANG  
"NANI?!" Three different voices shouted, except for Miroku who let out a sift sigh for the inevitable quarrel that would undoubtedly take place.  
  
Sango immediately jumped over the fire and looked menacingly down at the wolf youkai, "Who do you think you are?! Mating, pups, BAIT!!! I suppose she'll just be a following orders from the males in the pack!!" She was inches from their faces and practically burst their eardrums with all her yelling. The brothers, in a sad attempt to get away from her, leaned back on their log but she only followed until the log ended and the two ended up on their backs on the ground.  
  
Shippo who had jumped off Kagome and hitched a ride with Sango was also yelling at the sprawled youkai. "Yeah, who do you think you are? Kagome isn't some object you can just claim! You're not even claiming her for yourself! Its for somebody else! What is she a pair of sandals?!"  
  
Miroku was sitting calmly across the fire, wisely waiting for the commotion to die down so he could voice his plan. Kagome on the other hand had stood up angrily at the wolf brothers words, anger forgotten, was now looking wide-eyed across the fire in amazement at her friends ferocity on her behalf.  
  
As for the Youkai they just sort of fell in on themselves, for a pup and a mere human those two were scary! But thus was for the pack, they couldn't back down no matter, besides it wasn't them who had agreed to help, it was Kagome. Kouga's woman. With that in mind the two voiced the worst thing they could have at that moment.  
  
"What's the big deal? This is how things have always been done! She just has to go through the final steps to become his mate; she won't even have to do much! The women will even help with the regular duties, its not that hard!" They stopped when they saw the looks on the human's faces.  
  
The clearing was eerily quiet since the entire group was silent with shock and fury. Sango was stiff with anger and Shippo was just shocked speechless. While Miroku was mentally beating the two for their stupidity. Kagome on the other hand was with Sango on this one, she was still standing beside Miroku by the log, they were immobile in their anger but were taking the time to try and control themselves.  
  
Kagome was concentrating on the dirt at her feet so her hair hid her eyes, 'Breath Kagome, breath. This is the feudal era, they don't know any better, this is how things are done.' The veins on her head started to disappear and all would have been fine if Ginta hadn't opened his mouth: "Besides she has already been claimed by Kouga! All she has to do is look nice and take care of the Koug--" his petulant reply was abruptly cut off.  
  
[Screen blacks out and various sounds of pummeling and general butt kicking is heard.] When the clearing is seen again Sango and Kagome are standing over two prone, vaguely recognizable contorted lumps that used to be Hakkaku and Ginta, dusting their hands and looking very satisfied with themselves while Miroku just sighs a big mushroom cloud. 'The idiots! They just couldn't keep their mouths shut.' Was his exasperated thought.  
  
From Kagome's shoulder Shippo blew a raspberry at the youkai on the ground and a small Kirara pawed some dirt over them by Sango's feet.  
  
~~~~~  
Everybody is sitting around the fire the same as before except that now two battered, bruised, scraped and serene wolf youkai are nursing their wounds while listening this time, instead of doing the talking. Much better.  
  
"The way I see it you guys need Kagome's help and she IS willing to help. Just not the way you put it. Correct lady Kagome?" Miroku calmly turned to see her acknowledgment before turning back to the brothers. "Very well, now the basics of your plan are good, its the details that got you where you now are." 'Im not sure whether Inuyasha or these to take the ramen for putting their foot in their mouths!' "I am positive that we can help--- you just have to be willing to follow OUR plan. Are you?"  
  
The two just nodded obediently, 'no more talking, for women AND humans those two were NOT to be messed with!' Was the identical thought running through their heads. "Good, now if Im correct all that bothers the ladies is the part about mating, being bait and basically-" Miroku was cut off by Kagome's insertion, "being a doormat. I will NOT be walked over! But I will help." She told them firmly while looking unflinchingly into their eyes.  
  
At this the contrite wolf youkai both protested, "but you're his woman and of you don't mate Kouga then the plan is worthless! That's the whole point! Besides, we still don't--" This time they were cut off by four fist sized rocks bonking them on the head, while everybody calmly picked up some more ammunition, leaving two swirly eyed idiots to fall off their log.  
  
Delicately clearing her throat Sango explained some more about the plan, "The pack needs a steady leader, someone who is actually there to lead. It's about appearances really, considering that the pack really doesn't need a leader. They usually just do what they want except on the really big occasions, but since it is like a family the absence Kouga has left has unsettled the entire clan and a fidgety wolf tribe is NOT good."  
  
"What they need is to have Kouga there with them for a while so that things can settle down and a mate is just the sort of thing that will speed that up. Not to mention that seeing him with a mate/wife will be a added bonus for the pack." Miroku added.  
  
Sango and the wolves nodded in agreement, "Right, unfortunately Kagome will not mate Kouga so that leaves fewer options. For appearances sake it would be wisest if you were to tell Kouga that you were ready to accept his 'proposal', that way he would act as he normally would while we find another way to straighten this problem out. What do you think?" Sango looked at her friend expectantly.  
  
Kagome looked thoughtfully into the fire for a minute then nodded the affirmative, "Hai, that could work, although Im not sure how long we could stall him with the mating thing... what about Ayame? Wasn't Kouga engaged to her? What if we could get him to fall for her and forget about me! That way he wouldn't be breaking his promise, it would help the pack AND I wont have to well- you know."  
  
She looked at her fiends hopefully, Miroku and Sango looked thoughtful while the demons looked ready to burst. THEY knew Kouga and his view of things... but they wouldn't say anything unless called upon. From his perch on Kagome's shoulder Shippo fidgeted, worried that this new development might upset his carefully laid plans. 'I hope that we stop by the village before we leave! Im going to need to talk to the others about this!' was his frantic train of thought.  
  
In the end it was decided, they would all go with Hakkaku and Ginta to the packs home where they knew Kouga would show up soon enough when he heard that Kagome was there. Once he arrived they would set the plan in motion, one of them would stay and help the gang while the other brother went to find Ayame.  
  
Desperate the two brothers agreed and Kami help them that said otherwise! Happy they set off for the village, Kagome was eager to her village friends again.  
  
~~~~~  
Smiling happily the entire village saw them off the next morning soon after dawn, they had all spent the entire night celebrating Kagome's return and had decided to see her off. They all waved until the group was out of sight. Then all in high spirits began the day, slightly tired from the previous nights celebrating but nonetheless pleased.  
  
Kaede stood at the edge of the village with some of the children, smiling a secretive smile. Without turning away from the last spot her family had disappeared at she spoke, seemingly to herself: "We best hurry, he will no doubt be here soon and we don't want their trail to be too obvious. It wouldn't do for him to interrupt their plans or to find her so soon."  
  
With that said Kaede turned on her walking stick and led the four children into the forest to cover the groups tracks, all five of them of them smiling.  
  
~~~~~  
Three days later Inuyasha arrived at the village.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
So sorry guys, I made this one extra long just for yall! Im still worried about OOC-ness but it's getting there. And no Inu again but the next ch. is mostly him; I thought that he needed to be taught a lesson sooooo that's what the next ch. all about. Im not sure how long it'll be before he sees Kagome again though, although the upcoming characters should stir things up!  
  
Be sure to let me know if I get out of character or if something doesn't make sense, oh and Im revising the prologue. It sucks, I know. I don't know if you get alerts about revised ch. so just keep an eye out for that, it'll be about a week or so, its the end of school n the works not getting any sparser!  
  
luv u guys whether u review or not! 


	15. NIGHT OF THE NEW MOON

Do the words 'laptop with spell check' mean anything to yall? I know my life would be SO much easier with one but sadly I don't own one and my family has been hogging the computer this past week. But in the end it was the NEW Inuyasha eps on adult swim and finding another cool anime to watch that got me in gear! Woo, woo! So here it is:  
  
Disclaimer: I'm about as likely to own Inuyasha, as the following conversation is to take place on the show or magna.  
  
SESSHY: Ok ill let you borrow my blush if you let me borrow your eye shadow.  
  
NARAKU: That's not fair! My eyes shadow is worth at LEAST that fluffy thing you always carry!  
  
SESSHY: Nobody touches the fluff, it mine. All mine! *Rubs against fluffy thing luxuriantly.*  
  
NARAKU: Yeha rub it in why don't you. *Whining voice* I wanna fluffy thing! *Pouts as Sesshy continues to rub against his boa*  
  
He he that was fun! Oh man what I would give to actually see that! Anyways, on with the show!!! ************************************************************************  
  
Night of The New Moon  
  
A red streak breezed through the villager's peripheral vision a bit before sunset in the direction of Kaede's hut, as it passed a faint wind ruffled their hair and clothes in its wake. Some shook with silent laughter or smirked in amusement and looked away quietly, their eyes shiny with the effort not to laugh. They all knew who the red streak was and were intensely amused at the boy's predictfullness.  
  
A couple of calming breaths since his passing and the villagers were already back to their work, they had to finish up the days work before the sun set. But some did it with faint smiles on their faces.  
  
The red blur stopped at Kaede's doorstep and searched inside frantically, "Kagome?! Kagome!!" Only one thing was on his mind: finding Kagome. Everything else was trivial. As he continued to call her name without answer the cold lump of dread in his stomach grew, leaking out to curl around his spine. He was so absorbed in his anxiety that he didn't hear Kaede move up behind him, nothing mattered besides finding Kagome. Not even common sense, which would have told him to sniff her out and be done with it. But then love isn't known for being sensible.  
  
Smiling secretively Kaede swiftly schooled her demeanor before coldly brushing past the troubled hanyou on her way inside her home, startled Inuyasha jumped when he felt the contact and whirled around. His heart sped- up hoping to find Kagome, but it plummeted to his knees when he found that it was only Kaede who in turn breezed past him once more. The bouquet of herbs in her hands obviously the reason for her journey.  
  
Inuyasha recovered as she was hobbling away with the herbs in one hand and her walking stick in the other, "Wait!" he caught up with her in a heartbeat but she refused to look at him and kept walking, her chin held high, the picture of cold indifference. "Damn it, stop walking and tell me where the fuck Kagome's at!" Kaede finally stopped and looked at the boy.  
  
If looks could kill Inuyasha would have burst into flames with the fire in her gaze, only to have frost cover him with the coldness of her voice. Sarcasm dripping from every word, "Why do ye care about her whereabouts Inuyasha? Ye have done quite enough without-" Inuyasha cut her off, "Spare me!"  
  
"Listen you old hag, I don't care bout your opinions, just tell me where the fuck Kagome's at!" His patience was gone and the sun was quickly setting and with it his sense of urgency escalated. But for the life of him he couldn't focus enough on the sensation to find out what the problem was.  
  
"The lass went back home the morning after ye left her alone in the tree." But she was talking to thin air; Inuyasha had bolted once he found out where she was. Smiling slightly Kaede winked at some passing children before heading back the way she had come. 'Well, that went fairly well. I just hope the block-head learns something in her time.'  
  
Inuyasha, nothing more than a red streak in the air, flew down the well just as the sun set, and reappeared at the bottom of the well in Kagome's time. He found it harder than usual to get out but paid it no mind, his mind set on finding the woman he came back for. 'I have to find her, explain things, see if she is really ok. I have to see her...'  
  
~~~~~  
Without the slightest reluctance Inuyasha walked into her house calling her name and making a beeline for her room. "Kagome!? I know you're mad at me but damn it, I need to talk to you! ...." He stopped when he stepped into her room and found that she was gone. His heart constricted in pain and panic made his stomach tighten, at the sight of her day's-empty room.  
  
As he passed by her window his reflection showed him what he had been ignoring all day. A violet eyed, black haired man stared back at him. He was human; it was his night to change. 'Damn! I forgot.'  
  
'Without my demon senses there's no way that I can track Kagome down in this hell packed city!' So Inuyasha was forced to sit and wait until she returned... 'IF, she returns.' Dejected Inuyasha looked around her room forlornly and his eyes fell on several fat books that lay scattered on her bed. They were all different colors, shapes, and had different designs on the covers; they were different from her usual schoolbooks and drew his attention. Wondering what they were he went over to them and picked up a soft pink and silver decorated, particularly fat, book. 'Damn this thing is heavy! What the hell is this thing?'  
  
With nothing to do but wait and curiosity running through him Inuyasha gave in and cautiously pried it open, his eyes immediately fell on a lock of short, thick ebony hair and a baby certificate with Kagome's name and birth information inscribed on it. Confused Inuyasha ran a blunted human finger down the hairs glossy length before turning the page. This time he was greeted by baby Kagome, all dimples and smiles. The book showed different paintings or what she called "pictsures" all over the pastel pink and silver gilded pages. The different images showed Kagome as a infant with her father and mother at the hospital, taking her first steps, crawling, sticking her foot in her mouth and other various baby acts.  
  
Each individual picture was accompanied by a brief two to four sentence summary about the event in neat, rounded letters. He absorbed the explanations and the accompanying pictures into a permanent part of his memory, holding them close to himself. 'So that's Kagome as a pup.... And that must be her father. Hmmm he looks familiar--' but as he tried to focus on that thought a very subtle wall like barrier stopped him from finishing the notion. It seemed like the more he tried to concentrate on it the more it slipped through his fingers. Before he became too suspicious something else caught his attention, just for a second, but it was enough and he forgot about it. Just like that, the suspicion was gone.  
  
He leafed through her childhood, and was disappointed when the book ended around her third birthday. But it was erased when his eyes fell on another colorful book; this one was yellow with cute designs on the cover. It seemed to pick up where the other one had left off and he looked through that one too. Every picture he absorbed into his mind like it was more precious than air and water. He went though all the books on the bed, learning about her childhood and family and with those images his heart warmed just a little. Like it always did when he was near her.  
  
When he reached a powder blue book that showed her after she fell into the well Inuyasha started running into pictures of people in the feudal era as well. Frowning slightly he saw Sango letting Shippo put make- up on her for the first time and the after-product, he smiled as that days antics popped into his mind. He saw Shippo with his legs poorly shaved because he saw Kagome doing it, so of course he had to do it as well. 'Poor kid, he'll never live that down.' He thought with an amused smirk on his face.  
  
There were pages and pages of everybody, their friends, acquaintances, villagers from all over feudal Japan and allot of the people of the village by the well. As he progressed farther into he book he noticed that there were pictures of everybody but him... and that hurt. 'Its like I don't exist, I'm not worth remembering-' Frustrated he threw the book away onto a far corner of her bed. 'I guess I was never that important to her. Kouga and that Hoho shitt-for-brains mean more to her than I do.' He gave a small 'Keh' before his eyes fell on a scarlet book that had been hidden from sight by a plump pillow. By throwing the other book away it had moved the pillow enough to show a corner of a screaming- red one.  
  
Almost against his will he reached for the vermilion red book, this one seemed to draw him. Maybe it was the fact that it was his favorite color. His melancholy thoughts were wiped from his mind as he turned the book over and his eyes fell on the cover. It had a small window in the center with picture of Kagome... and himself framed inside it. It was one when they happened to have fallen asleep on his human night outside, in the courtyard in front of her house. Ironically it showed part of the Goshinboku in full bloom as the background, it seemed to be hugging the two. Making the scene very cozy and private looking, more so than they had been aware of at the time.  
  
His heart pounded in his ears as he opened the book then stopped for a beat when he came face to face with red and white pages pull of himself and sometimes Kagome, all with a description nearby. But this time it was in a smaller, curvier handwriting. It was almost delicate, and he knew it belonged to Kagome. He had seen her writing a couple of weeks before while she studied with him, 'has it really only been three weeks since all this happened?' He shook his head to clear his thoughts and looked through all the images in the red and white book.  
  
It showed him carrying Kagome over his shoulder and walking away with her screaming at him. There was a shot when he had taken Kagome 'flying,' it showed her with her face turned to the wind and her eyes sparkling, brighter than all the stars in the sky. Inuyasha sleeping, looking peaceful and content in his tree. Inuyasha and Kagome sitting on a hill, watching the fireflies in their nightly dance. Inuyasha fighting different demons.  
  
His heat skipped a beat and brought a matching red to his face at the next few pictures, it was so raw; the emotions obvious even in the still pictures. It showed Inuyasha as a full demon kissing Kagome, followed by him changing back and kissing her for all he was worth. Inuyasha and Kagome sleeping in a tree, molded together so well it was hard to find a breath of air between them.  
  
The book was full of nothing but pictures of himself and Kagome, how they had managed to take them all he didn't know (considering that the damn picture taking thing creeped him out and he tried to beat anybody who pointed it at him). But there they were. Shaking his head slightly in wonder he turned the pages reverently, all but feeling the love put into the book radiating off the pages like heat. It warmed him like nothing else could but at the same time it made the ball of guilt and anxiety in his stomach grow. A deep sense of foreshadowing fell on him, and he knew that whatever had happened it was made worse for him by knowing about the book in his hands.  
  
The book ended and he put it down slowly, reluctantly, sad to let it go; but the temptation of the unexplored books urged him on. Another book, this one with a embroidered cover of a pond with a short bridge and blossoming sakura trees on the opposing banks, held green and gold pages filled to overflowing with more pictures.  
  
Pages and pages filled with Kagome over the years. These were more scattered, they varied from her in battle to her and Shippo playing in a river. Of her eating at Wacdonalds with her friends and walking around her house in an oversized shirt and socks while she was sick with the 'floo' or something.  
  
As Inuyasha was flipping through the pages he found a picture of her in a field of passionate red flowers with lighter red bordered petals and many long stamen [A/N: the ones at end of the first outro. I heard they were supposed to represent something but I just thought they were pretty.] He was remembering that night, about a year ago, when he put one in her hair as he sat watching her sleep from his spot on a tree, when he came upon another group of pictures.  
  
These were of her graduation and for some reason they made him frown, something was wrong with them. Something was off; it was the sight of the last two pictures in the album that shocked him. There Kagome was, healthy and bubbly as usual, wrestling with everybody a little before he had left. And there Kagome was again, a week ago at graduation. Hollow eyed, pale and thin, but nonetheless happy and celebrating the day with her friends and family. Those two pictures together put every flaw into sharp contrast and made his chest tighten in panic at seeing her like that.  
  
'She, she looks... sick. Like the weight of the world was dumped on her shoulders and at the same time is falling apart and she's scrambling to pick up the pieces, but more keep falling around her. She hasn't been sleeping or eating right... she's so thin! Di-did I do this to her? What's been going on, where is she? What happened after I left?' His thoughts grew more panicked as more questions came.  
  
"Do you really want to know?" a deep, warm, rumbling, disembodied voice asked from the space to Inuyasha's right by the window. It rippled through the air and vibrated a way no human voice should, it was gentle but unnerving as hell to the now human Inuyasha perched on the bed.  
  
His head snapped up and toward the voice, "Who's there?" His fingers were holding onto the book so tightly that they were turning white, as his eyes darted around, trying to find the source of that powerful voice. "Huh, what are you talking about? I'm standing right he-" there was a brief pause and in a sheepish tone the voice continued, "he he, oops. I keep forgetting."  
  
Inuyasha fought to keep the groan from escaping his lips. It seemed like a lifetime since he had last talked to the god, so much had happened since the conversation he'd had with him that night. A blinding silver light flared in front of the window and just as quickly faded to show the man with the crackling electrical blue eyes in its place.  
  
He managed to look just as comfortable folded on the windows edge as he had been draped on the tree and he looked just as embarrassed at his slip as he had then. The mans words suddenly made it through Inuyasha's fogged brain. **Do you really want to know?** They were said pretty casually but nevertheless Inuyasha felt a deep sense of foreboding buried in those words.  
  
Suppressing the shiver that was threatening to break out Inuyasha straightened his back and looked at the man who had been peering around him the entire time, taking in everything in the room. Suddenly the soft pink baby book that had been lying beside Inuyasha flared that same bright silver and reappeared in the mans hands. Something about the way he held the book nagged at Inuyasha but he pushed it back, 'Does he know what's going on? Where Kagome is and what happened after I left? Would he tell me if I asked?'  
  
The god grinned in amusement at the hanyou's thoughts, 'You'll get your answers soon enough, although with everybody conspiring against you... Perhaps the kitsune and his games will accomplish what everybody else has failed at.' The grin softened as he leafed through the baby book... all the way to the end.  
  
"Do- do you know what happened? Can you tell me?" Desperate Inuyasha grabbed onto the shred of hope that the god dangled in front of him. Any information was good as long as he found out if She was ok. As long as he could fix what he'd done.  
  
"Yeeeess-- aaannd no. I can't tell you... but I can show you what has happened. To a point." He winced at the rawness in the boys face, he didn't like this but there was no other way.  
  
"Nani? What the hell kind of fucked up answer is that! Either you know what happened to Kagome or you don't! Why won't anybody tell me what I want to know! WHERE is she! What's happened!" His nerves were rubbed raw, to a point that he resorted back to good ol' anger to make sense of things. Not to mention that what had been nagging him since his chat with Kikyo had returned full force and was now eating away at him from the inside out.  
  
The man/god sighed heavily, "Very well, I will show you. I suppose you will never learn until you see it for yourself..." His voice was laced with so thick sorrow that Inuyasha felt his own shoulders droop with the weight of it. Infuriated at his own weak humanity, which let the god's power have a stronger effect on him, and his puzzling words Inuyasha went to yell some more before his eyes became glossy and the violet swallowed his pupils, making him look blind. He was looking inward with the memories the god was showing him. Beginning with the dream Kagome had been having after he left her in the Goshinboku.  
  
He was reliving what she had gone through, from the best perspective available. Hers...  
  
~~~~~FEUDAL JAPAN  
Kagome, Sango, Miroku, Shippo, Kirara, Ginta and Hakkaku were once again sitting around a fire. This time it was in friendly companionship and not a distrust so thick you could choke on. Miroku was cooking some fish for their dinner while Sango, Shippo and Kagome talked quietly under a nearby tree. It was still about two hours till sunset and they were all enjoying the beautiful day's calmness when Kagome suddenly stood up and looked at the horizon. A tornado suddenly appeared in the directioon she was looking in.  
  
Not three seconds later Kouga stood in front of her with her hands cupped in his, his ocean blue eyes gazing deeply into her own chocolate orbs. "Kagome! You must have sensed my need for you and come to greet me. This means that you know that we will be mates soon. I know that you must be eager to get down to making some pups!" He took her dinner plate sized eyes and the funny strangled noises that Kagome was making deep in her throat as speechless joy and barged on while everybody else stared at his gall with tiny, pinprick eyes and several sweat drops.  
  
"I knew that you'd eventually come to you're senses about that weakling Inuyasha, couldn't resist me huh? Come on we're going home. Sorry that there are so many ceremonies and introductions that must take place before we can mate, but don't worry... I'm sure that we can sneak away from time to time and indulge ourselves a bit before the actual mating ritual." Kouga finished in a husky, suggestive voice and a look that made Kagome sweating heavier than the time she tried to cook that Mexican dish and found it WAY too spicy... even for her. "UUhhhh." Was all she could croak out.  
  
'OMG! He's crazier than I remembered! How am I going to keep him from creating these "moments" he's talking about?! Gotta think of something Kagome, think, think! ... Crap.' A nervous twitch had started on the right corner of her lips but Kouga took no notice of it as he casually swung his arm around his woman's shoulders and let it drape there as he pulled her into his side.  
  
Kagome stiffened at his touch but Kouga brushed it off as 'Womanly nerves, its so kawaii the way she's so nervous about pleasing me!' "Don't worry Kagome, I'm sure you will be fine come our mating ceremony!" he reassured her pompously before turning to his pack brothers, completely missing the look of panic tinged horror on her face.  
  
"Hakkaku, Ginta, well done in protecting my woman while I was away. No way that mutt could of protected her against any REAL danger. Me and my woman will see you at the mountains." And with that Kouga swung a speechless Kagome over his shoulder and they disappeared in his trademark tornado, leaving a speechless and stupefied odd group of companions around the camp.  
  
[Sounds of birds chirping happily] Several seconds passed by with everybody still staring at where the two had once stood. Miroku was the first to regain his composure, "Well that was easy, we didn't even have to convince Kouga that he should take Kagome as his mate! Things are going smoother than I thought." was his calm statement before Sango blinked, eyes still slightly too wide, and nodded in turn. "Hai... Shippo's gone." She mentioned in a slightly foggy voice.  
  
And it was true; the kitsune was gone with Kagome. Which wasn't terribly surprising considering that ever since they had joined up again Shippo refused to leave her side. With that said they resumed their dinner, talking quietly, discussing who would be going to find Ayame tomorrow morning. In the end it was decided that Hakkaku would go...  
  
~~~~~ BACK TO INUYASHA  
Tears ran down Inuyasha's face as he lay curled in a fetal position on Kagome's bed, huddling into as tiny a ball as possible. The photo albums lay scattered around him. Forgotten. "Kami help me. What have I done?" His voice squeezed out deep and rough with tears. His throat clogged painfully and his chest tightened with sorrow. Inuyasha lay rocking back and forth on the bed. Pain ran through him, it was worse than any wound he had every received, worse than what he himself went through as a child, worse than anything he had ever gone through. His muscles shivered and convulsed with it. It was a pain so deep it cut his heart and soul to ribbons, a wound so intense that his mind didn't want to accept- didn't want to understand it.  
  
But he did, he forced himself to bear the pain because it was HER pain. It was a wound that he had made and now he was more than glad, in a twisted sort of way, to feel and embrace it. Even if scalding tears ran down his face in rivulets and his stomach muscles rippled and cramped in response to the visions, causing him to fold in on himself even further, cringing in pain. It was for her, it WAS her, Kagome. This was the pain that he had put her through. He had asked to know. Now he did, he knew first hand what had happened.  
  
Once the spasms stopped it still took a while for his muscles to relax and allow him to sit upright without feeling like he would die. Inuyasha sat leaning against the wall on Kagome's bed, relearning how to breathe. Sweat and tears on flowed down his face unnoticed, leaving caked, sticky paths down to his chin and at his temples.  
  
Drawing shaky, gasping breaths Inuyasha finally turned in the direction of the god and found that his eyes were shut tight, he didn't remember closing them. Slowly he opened his eyes and looked over at the god who had now switched to the green and gold decorated photo album. He was intently ignoring Inuyasha and for all purposes fully engrossed in the book. "Is it true, did I really do that to her? Is, is she going to be ok? Will she heal-" his already hoarse voice broke with the strain of talking after all that, it was like he had abused his voice with endless screaming. Even though he was almost positive that he hadn't opened his mouth till then.  
  
"She will be fine. She was hurt badly but in the end she woke up as you saw... it was the combined stress of your actions and her school work that drained her so badly." He let the words hang suspended in the air, let Inuyasha absorb them, still without looking at the boy. Becuse if he did he would be forced to watch all that raw pain and suffering dancing on his face. It was enough to squeeze his own long-still heart inside his chest.  
  
"The- then where is she? I- does she hate me, will I ever see her again. Will she ever go back to the feudal era?" He was shaking with it again, a fear so deep it cut into the most primal part of him and left him cold with it. The fear of being abandoned.  
  
"You did the same to her son... but no, Kagome doesn't have it in her to hate you. In fact she has accepted that you chose Kikyo. I know that is not so, but she doesn't know that." He quickly went on as he sensed Inuyasha open his mouth to deny it, "And we did warn you that you needed to be careful around her. That for all her strength you alone have the power to break her."  
  
Guilt flooded his already brimming senses. He voiced his thoughts in a small and uncertain tone, like a child asking if the bad needle will really hurt. "But she promised to stay with me forever. She promised, she said she understood-" he cut himself off as the full force of those electric eyes bored into him, finally looking at him, making him see the truth inside humslef. 'She DID promise to be with me, she accepted who I am... but she never said that she would stay once I made my choice.' "Kami, help me. What have I done." it came out in a whispered breath. Shaky and so full of pain and remorse that it brought a wince from the god as well.  
  
"Its going to be all right son, she is fine and some time with her friends and family is all she really needs to return to her usual self. In fact she is already in the feudal era, she returned a couple of days ago. It will be good for her, this stay in the past. In the end she made it and that is what matters."  
  
Inuyasha felt a tight, clenched ball in his stomach unroll as relief ran through him after the gods firm words. "I have to make things right, I have to tell her that I didn't betray her. I have to TALK to her..." he told himself firmly. Saying it aloud seemed to help him, made the words more real. He looked up at the window once more but found him gone, the book lying innocently on the desk chair.  
  
Confused Inuyasha looked around but knew that he was alone; something in the quality of the air told him that he was alone in the room once more. It was then that he heard the front door slam and the jingling of keys being dropped onto a hard surface. Someone was home.  
  
Inuyasha was down the stairs in a flash, eager for some kind of human contact. Hoping that it was her, even after being told that she was back in his world. Hope is a unfaithful bitch. [A/N: So he's feeling a little melancholy. After that wouldn't you be too?]  
  
His heart ended up somewhere around his ankles when he laid eyes, not on Kagome, but her mother. For a minute or two they stared at each other, both getting over their shock. In the end it was Mrs. Higurashi that broke the silence, she had finally recognized who the black haired stranger was, "Inuyasha, dear, what are you doing here? Kagome went back through the well a few days ago. Did something happen?" She quickly added as scenarios filled her head, of her daughter hurt and possibly dying. Nothing short would have brought Inuyasha back so soon, and without Kagome.  
  
"N-no. Kagome is fine, I... I just came back to--" Smiling slightly she figured now was a good time as any to find out what had been going on between the two. Something wasn't right, while she appreciated that her daughter had been able to come back for the end of the year and graduation, and respected her privacy that didn't change the fact that something had to have happened to bring her back in the first place. She doubted that the girl even remembered that she was graduating soon.  
  
"Come Inuyasha, I'm sure that you are hungry. And hopefully you can help me better understand some things..." With that she led the boy into the kitchen for the weirdest talk he would have for a long time with a human...  
  
~~~~~ IN THE FEUDAL ERA  
Miles away from the group, in the opposite direction, a slender boy of around sixteen was walking through a village. He was dragging a demon by a limp leg, his weapon expertly hanging from his shoulder. He dragged it all the way to the elder's door where he was praised and thanked profusely.  
  
His short kimono showed of slender, muscular arms and legs. The sun emphasized his deep chestnut-brown hair and the charming, embarrassed smile made him all the more attractive to the village girls. But he wasn't staying; he had only helped these people because something inside wouldn't let him walk away. That same something was what led him on a strange path that wasn't alien to him. The closer he got the more he felt that he knew the way while feeling completely foreign to the land at the same time.  
  
In his mind he had several vague, fuzzy images of three young women. The most prominent was that of a slender woman around 21, with long, dark, shimmering chestnut-brown hair that fell down her back in a loose ponytail, ending at about waist level. She was smiling and had a small neko-youkai on her shoulder. There was also a vague figure beside her, but he couldn't make out more than the outline for all he tried to focus on the image. But the woman, she was a big part of what held him, her hair and eyes so much like his own.  
  
Next was another girl with a guarding force always by her side. The force always by her side was important, it seemed like a part of her, something he felt was important but not in the immediate sense. This girl was foggier of the three. All he remembered was jet, black hair, ivory skin and a sense that she could help him. That the girl could heal him somehow. He felt that he owed her something as well, but what he didn't know. It was beyond frustrating.  
  
The last image was more real than the strange feeling he got from the previous girl; this one was younger than himself while the other two had defiantly been older. She was maybe a year younger than him, with straight black hair that reached to her elbows and was half pulled up into a sideways ponytail. It was her smile that held him though, it was a smile that warmed him up inside better than any fire. That girl brought a blush to his cheeks and ears that the other two couldn't touch. But it was replaced by another rush of heat that was anything but pleasant; it was in response to the white figure at her back. That white figure made him inexplicably uneasy and agitated.  
  
He had to find those girls; they held answers to the questions that filled his mind continuously. He felt that they would be able to help him like nobody else could. But always around the images of them there were others. Most were of people that he felt were important to them, the shadow figures hovering around the women in the flashes he had of them. They all disturbed him for various reasons and on different levels. He was snapped out of his thoughts by the elders excited praise.  
  
"My boy this is a fine job! You must look into being a demon exterminator! We will pay you as well as we can but since the war times have not been kind to us. But whatever we can do to repay you we shall!" was the old mans eager offer.  
  
Uncomfortable with all the praise he was getting the boy shifted nervously and shyly countered the mans offer, "Please, sir, I don't want much. Just a bit of water and some of the demon, anything else I can provide for myself."  
  
"At least tell us your name so that we can tell others of your skill," he begged. This brought another blush to the young mans face, "I do not remember my name sir." His reply extracted a few understanding nods from the elder and surrounding men. "Hai, times are hard on all of us. Very well then, at the very least please stay the night in the village with us. Let us feed you and provide you with a soft bed indoors for the night."  
  
The girls in the village talked among themselves excitedly, the sneaky old man! He wanted to set the young man up with his adopted daughter! Well! Elder or not, they would not give him up without a fight, especially to a girl who didn't even appreciate him. Hung up on some old monk, she was. Baka.  
  
The boy reluctantly agreed, he would not be so rude as to refuse the kind elders offer, besides it was about an hour to sunset and he wasn't prepared for a night outdoors. Tomorrow he would hunt and make sure he was prepared. "Hai, sir. I would be honored to spend the night in your village... but please. I must leave by tomorrow afternoon, I must find those I seek." Excited the old man smiled so deep his wrinkles had wrinkles and beckoned with a shaky, age-spotted hand.  
  
"Come, boy, my daughter will tend to your things and show you around. Now where is that girl? Koharu? Child where are you! Ah, there she is! Playing with that toy weapon of hers again... come girl. We have a guest!" His wheezy but surprisingly strong voice carried through the warm afternoon air.  
  
A young girl of around fourteen stopped the exercises she had been doing with a staff and walked over to them. She was very beautiful, with long glossy black hair, bright, stormy blue eyes and a slim, trim figure that her sky blue kimono set off beautifully. After hearing him out her reaction was immediate and, the boy thought, 'Faintly rehearsed. Almost as if she has practiced the reactions.' But the elder paid no notice to it and so he let it go as well. But still, there was a tightness around her eyes that made him uneasy. It reminded him of somebody.  
  
"Hai, papa. I will make a feast tonight, for our guest." She bowed respectfully before running toward the house to prepare a long and bountiful meal, all the while a mischievous smirk playing on her lips and adjusting her plan to fit the situation...  
  
~~~~IN THE FUTURE WITH INUYASHA  
Inuyasha went back upstairs all swirly eyed and confused after his talk with Kagome's mother. He had agreed to spend the night so that he would be safe from the dangers in his time, besides it wasn't like he could do much in his human form she had told him with sparkling eyes. He went upstairs obligatorily but he couldn't help feeling that he had been conned. In more ways than spending the night. Her little quest for answers had turned into a full-blown interrogation and had confused the daylights out of him.  
  
He had no doubt that Kagome's mother could have made him think that black was white and vice versa. So he went to bed disorientated and gloomy, feeling the fool but unable to do anything about it. 'What is it about this family's women? They sneak up on you and then trap you!' was his melancholy train of thought as he lay down to sleep on Kagome's bed. Letting her faint scent comfort and lull him to the edge of sleep.  
  
The starlight drew silver edged shadows across his face as he felt sleep finally carry him away.  
  
************************************************************************ Well that was a long one for a supposedly short chapter... things aren't working out the way I planned but when the story writes itself who am I to complain? Besides I'm excited about the next chapter, I love the drama I'm gonnna draw out with the new characters! Dont ya think they'll add a new twist? And I'm not done with the cast, there are still a few people missing! ^______^  
  
Ok so next ch: we find out Koharu's plan, Inuyasha gets stuck in the future with Souta and Kagome and the gang are shoved into the packs open arms. *.* fun fun fun! See ya next time!  
4.30.04 


	16. NIGHT OF THE NEW MOON PART 2

Ok so how was that last one? Worth the wait? I actually loved it, so many ways to torture everybody now! ::Rubs hands expectantly:: I'm going to have so much fun with the little ones! But back to this chapter, I'm so sorry that I took so long to update but Iv been forced to seek out another source for my computer needs, it took me a while to find another supply.  
  
Disclaimer: Would Sesshomaru ever go skipping through a field of flowers singing the "Barney" song? Although that image does crack me up, I doubt it will ever happen... On second thought Barney is scary! But anyways you get the point: NO! I don't own Inuyasha  
  
.............................................................................................................................................................  
  
Night Of The New Moon Part.2  
  
IN THE CLEARING  
Her pure green eyes were shinny with barely contained laughter as she sat by the small bowl of water, her lips twitching involuntarily. Her slender figure, in the many layers of kimonos, still looked regal even while she shook with the effort not to laugh. Finally she turned those eyes to her companion across the bowl, once their eyes met it proved to be too much and they both burst into full-throated laughter that sang and clung in the air.  
  
"I can't believe you left him to her, you knew what would happen! Poor boy the day he is going to have!" Laughter resonated in her voice and carried through the air, pure and musical as bells. The man's own cerulean, lightning speckled eyes crackled with his amusement. The lighter electric blue ran through the darker cerulean and sped up with his emotions until it was disorienting. But the woman looked into those eyes and gave no sign of noticing.  
  
He glanced at the bowl and his laughter faded away to be replaced by another type of amusement and finally, pride. "They will learn soon enough, I can feel it. She will learn allot with the wolves and he will have time to THINK for once... As for the little one's---well, they will have to learn the hard way as well. Poor man, he's about to get blow to his system like no other." He looked at the woman and could feel her agreement.  
  
She sighed deeply, but happily and turned back toward the bowl. The air around her practically shimmered with her emotions like the hot air around a fire. "They will all have to face things soon, let them be together and let us hope that things go as planned... anything else is madness." She whispered, but the soft, depressing words didn't reach her eyes.  
  
She didn't mean to kill the mood but conflicting emotions ran through her at the realization that they were close. So close to the end. Pride, fear, love, happiness, unease and so on, it was enough to weaken her resolve and let her power shimmer all around her. And she let it, there was no harm that could come to them in this place, here they were untouchable. The woman finally took a deep, shaky breath, shrugging off the unease like a coat and companionable silence returned to the clearing once more as they turned to watch the scrying bowl once more.  
  
FEUDAL JAPAN  
Koharu stood beside the closed door, breathing in the cool night air, in the hall outside the stranger's room. She hated this part of the plan but there was no other way. She stood in the shadows with only her night vision to help her and assessed herself.  
  
She was wearing a borrowed geisha kimono, which clung tightly to her curves while still managing to be loose enough in the right places. It was strategically hanging open at her chest and thigh so that you got flashes of supple thigh and smooth, silky breasts whenever she moved a certain way. She deftly tugged at the silk until a delicate shoulder was bared to the night, adding to the seductress effect.  
  
Her dark hair was sleep tousled and hanging loose down her back in unruly waves. The girl quickly ran her fingers through her hair and fluffed it some more, fixing it to her best advantage. In an eye-blink she expertly made her eyes heavy with sleep. She pressed her lips until they tingled and she knew they would be plump with the blood flow, it all combined to give her a sultry look that any geisha would have been proud of.  
  
She took several deep, calming breaths and if they were a little shaky she ignored it and kept her mind firmly on the plan. A frown marred her forehead; it was just beyond her how anybody could find her appearance alluring. It screamed cheap, tawdry and fake to her... but she was counting on him to fall for it. No that wasn't right, she didn't want him to fall for it but since nobody had ever passed before her hopes weren't that high. Still, she shook it off and got back to the task at hand. Koharu mentally shook herself before letting that air that men desired cover her like expensive perfume before she silently slid the screen door open and stepped inside.  
  
Koharu had expected to find the boy sleeping or at least dozing but instead she was greeted by the sight of a rumpled, empty bed. Confused she started to look around the room and was unprepared for the hand that deftly covered her mouth and the arm that snaked around her waist from behind, pulling her flush against a firm body.  
  
'Unprepared but never defenseless.' She reassured herself; nevertheless she forced herself to relax against the warm body behind her and actually leaned into it. This was the deciding moment, he would either pass, or fail miserably like all the others. Her heart thudded against her ribcage as she waited those few endless seconds for him to make his choice...  
  
The boy turned her toward the soft starlight shining through the rice paper windows and as soon as the silvery light illuminated her face he instantly recognized the girl, even through the layers of poorly put on face paint. "You're the elders daughter! What are you doing here, dressed like that?"  
  
'Hmm maybe he needs some convincing...' she responded by rubbing herself against him, subtly, but still getting her point across. 'I hate this but I NEED to see if he'll break.' Ignoring the subtle advances she was making with her person the boy promptly took a step back from her and used his arms to keep the line of their bodies from touching.  
  
Koharu struggled weakly in his grasp, hoping that he would give and show his true colors but for all his shy manners and lanky appearance his grip was as unmoving as stone. She struggled more earnestly but he held her easily. Still struggling Koharu froze at his words, "Go, leave before you shame your father in front the entire village. I'll keep quiet about this and make sure that no one finds out on my end."  
  
A warm rush of relief washed through Koharu as she realized that he wasn't going to give in. 'He's passed the first part, but I still need to know how good he really is.' She thought as he was still on {{father}} and without warning she hooked foot at the back of his knee and pulled it forward, to throw him off balance, and went limp at the same time. She had hoped to surprise him into letting her go. But he was faster.  
  
The boy was suddenly yards from her person. The unexpected lack of support on her arms left her suddenly unbalanced, almost landing her on her butt in a heap on the floor. Once she regained her composure she adjusted the Kimono so that it wasn't as indecent. Then she assessed him thoughtfully and silently as he did the same. Her respect for him went up a notch; nobody had ever been able to do that before. She was usually faster and better than anybody.  
  
The silence stretched out until Koharu finally spoke, "So, the herbs didn't do their job, seeing as how you're as alert as before, more so by the look in your eyes." She stated calmly, her words caused his eyes to widen in surprise, 'This reed of a girl was the one who tried to harm me?!'  
  
"I smelled something wrong with the food so I got rid of it without drawing attention to myself, deciding to stay up tonight to see who was responsible for the trap. I gotta admit I didn't think it would be you... also poison has little effect on me. Regardless of its degree of harmfulness." The boy answered her quietly, his surprise still naked on his face at her words and the sight of the straight-backed, proud girl who now stood before him, so different from the obedient girl at dinner and the seductress from minutes before.  
  
"Humph! Well you passed. Regardless of the herbs or not." She told him stiffly. The boy only stared causing the willow slim girl to fidget slightly, before she forced herself to be still. "I need you to do me a favor, that's what this night is all bout, to see if you were right for my plan. If you had tried to take advantage of me... never mind. Just know you passed and I need a favor." With all the dignity of a Deity Koharu declared her request, her voice betrayed none of the doubt rolling inside her.  
  
He merely stared at her, curious as to who the real Koharu was, "Well?" At his unwavering gaze the girl felt her resolve weaken slightly, but the knowledge of the situation forced it back. "Look, I can see that you are on a mission of some kind. I don't really care what for, I just need you too," she took a deep breath here and let it out with the rest of her words, in a rush. "Pretendtobemyfinaceandtakemewithyouwhenyouleave." It left the boy blinking comically to puzzle through what she had said.  
  
"No." was his flat refusal. She seemed to deflate before his eyes, the sparkle and surety draining out of her like water out of a cracked cup. "But you don't understand, you wont have to protect me or actually take me very far. Just to the next village perhaps and it would all be a lie to my family so you wont be obligated to follow through or anything! You would still be free to follow your mission. Please." The please seemed to have cost her much, and her voice coupled with the desperate look in her eyes, made the boy shift uneasily.  
  
"I NEED this favor, my father is old and I'm no boy to bring glory to the family, in fact I would take money away with a dowry. Not that any of the men will have me for miles, considering that they all resent that I can easily beat them in a fight and the women are not that much nicer. They despise me just the same, although I don't know why. Please take me with you! That way the village will be rid of me and father will be secure in knowing that I'm ''In good hands'' and he can rest easy." Her dreams lay naked in those shining, stormy-blue orbs. The pleading in her eyes was raw and painful, he almost looked away from them but something kept him glued to them.  
  
'I shouldn't take her with me, I sense some hidden danger in my journey but... how much trouble could we get into from here to the next town? ::Sigh:: Those eyes... they remind me of something.' In the end the flashes of her dreams dancing in her eyes got to him and he agreed to help her get free of the town. 'Its not like she wants me to ACTUALLY marry her or anything, so it should be alright.'  
  
Koharu sighed in relief. She could see it now. She was that much closer to being free, just hours away! "Well if that's all, I'll wake you come sun rise and we'll be off. Well I suppose we will need to talk to your father but that shouldn't slow us down that much." He was dismissing her and settling down to sleep but she hadn't moved. Frowning slightly he glanced at her shadow darkened face.  
  
The girl was worrying her bottom lip and had a scowl on her brow; she was working up her courage to finish her request. In the end it she just gathered her courage and got it over with, "Could you teach me how to fight better as well? Only until we reach the next town of course, but between then?"  
  
Something told the boy that he should run away from her and her village as soon as possible. His shoulders were tight with it, a deep sense of foreboding clung to him... But he couldn't do that to her, her dreams seemed too close to home for him to simply abandon her. Besides how much more trouble could a couple of lessons hurt? It would be along the way so it wouldn't really slow them down.  
  
In the end, like a sucker, he agreed and was rewarded by a fierce hug and a smile from her that lit up the room. Then, in a flash, she was gone and he was left alone in his suddenly empty room. A room that suddenly felt huge and strangely hollow.  
  
Feeling like he had just doomed himself the amnesiatic boy retired for the night, while Koharu spent the rest of the night packing and waiting for the sun to rise. 'I'm almost free! Just a little longer!'  
  
THE PRESENT  
Inuyasha lay curled up on his side on Kagome's bed, his sword clutched to his chest as if he was afraid it would suddenly grow legs and run away. His dark, silky hair was spread out around him like a shadow.  
  
The hoary starlight that poured in through the open window illuminated is face and highlighted his features, throwing them into sharp contrast. Bringing out shadow fangs, it was as if, even in his human night, the hanyou was peeking out through the shadows. [A/N: no point in that last sentence I just thought it sounded cool]  
  
Inuyasha gave a soft sigh and mumbled one word before falling back into a deep sleep. "Kagome"  
  
Someone smiled in the shadows by the doorway just before they shut the door; it gave the faintest click as it closed.  
  
THE FEUDAL ERA  
The cool night breeze rushed over her as Kagome rode on Kouga's shoulder like a sack of potatoes, but the girl didn't feel it. All she felt was the hot rush of anger, 'How dare he treat me like this? I'm not his property! Just wait till I get down!' Every step fueled her anger so that by the time Kouga actually stopped inside the wolf's den behind the waterfall she was so mad that all she knew was that she was on her feet.  
  
:: !!SMACK!! :: A raw, red handprint graced half of Kouga's face. Leaving a shocked, anticipatory silence from the rest of the pack and a stunned one from Kouga. "HOW DARE YOU RUN OFF WITH ME LIKE THAT! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? WHATS THE MATTER WITH YOU? DONT YOU HAVE ANY MANNERS, YOU DONT RUN OFF WITH PEOPLE LIKE THAT YOU JERK!!!"  
  
Kagome went on like that for a while. Her voice bounced and echoed beautifully in the cave, the stone walls amplified her words and left the youkai's ears ringing. But after a couple of minutes of her ranting Kagome's anger deflated and she started to regret letting her temper get the better of her.  
  
But her repentance quickly faded back to seething anger, then acute embarrassment and finally incredulance at Kouga's speech. Her words hadn't even faded from the air before Kouga snapped out of it and pulled her too his side non-too gently. He gave a hearty, rumbling laugh and addressed the entire pack.  
  
Amusement resonated in his rumbling voice, "My Kagome, feisty as ever! She will make a good mate and she will give me some damn good pups!" It was around then that Shippo had jumped off Kouga's tail and transferred himself to Kagome's shoulder. But not before setting Kouga's tail on fire with his 'Foxfire.' Kouga jumped and was forced to run to the waterfall to put his tail out.  
  
Kagome smothered a giggle while Kouga shot Shippo a death glare, but it was nothing compared to Inuyasha's. Shippo knew that Kouga wouldn't DARE hit him for fear of angering Kagome, so he had a good advantage over the wolf. 'Ooo this is going to be fun!' Was his gleeful train of thought.  
  
However Kouga recovered quickly and motioned the others to greet their new sister, and suddenly the entire pack rushed them like a tidal wave. They all wanted to get a look at their new sister and their leaders new mate, they kept going up to her and sniffing her wherever they could reach. Some even rubbed themselves on her, like they were marking their territory in some kind of weird greeting. It sufficiently creeped her out.  
  
Kagome stood frozen with a deer-caught-in-the-headlights expression on her face, as she stood clutching onto Kouga's arm as she was welcomed to the family.  
  
Then the next thing she knew, Kouga was gone and she was being led somewhere by more eager pack members. Except that these were women, the first women she had seen in Kouga's pack... ever. That snapped her out of it enough so she could look around and noticed that they had led her into another cave. This one was defiantly smaller that the previous one had been but it had an air about it that made it seem much larger than it actually was. Maybe it was the fact that this one had a more personal touch than the other one did, or perhaps it was just that this one was less crowded.  
  
Whatever it was it was defiantly cozier. There was another waterfall at the entrance of this cave as well, cooling the air in the cave some so that it wasn't to hot inside with so many warm bodies in the enclosed space. Kagome frowned as the connection clicked into place, 'We're above the other cave, I can hear them talking below us...' she was snapped out of her thoughts by a blond female shaking her shoulder.  
  
Kagome blinked and then leaned back at the sight of so many faces peering at her inches from her own nose, all their eyes shone with excitement and curiosity. When they saw that she was back they all gave a few kind laughs before leaning forward and bombarding her with questions:  
  
"How did you meet Kouga?" "Where are you from?" "Why do you wear those strange clothes?" At this she noticed that they had actually grabbed onto the hem of her jeans and were feeling the fabric. "Why do you wear men's clothes?" "Who is your furry friend?" They pointed at a smug looking Shippo on her shoulder. "Can you really sense Shikon shards? We heard about it from our mates!" And so on.  
  
In the end they were all practically nose to nose with Kagome who had swirly eyes from all the questions. It was the embarrassingly loud sound of her stomach rumbling that stopped the attack, immediately several of the women got up and rushed back with some food. The sight made Kagome's mouth water and she dug in, with Shippo not far behind. 'We didn't get a chance to eat since wolf boy dragged us away before dinner. But this was worth the wait!' Was Shippo's happy thought.  
  
The youkai women sweat dropped at the sight the two made but it didn't curve their excitement. As soon as they were finished, the women rushed them again and they were back to where they started. 'I'm getting a headache! Their worse than Eri!' It was as the headache was getting to a steady pounding at her temples and just behind her eyes that all of a sudden a hush fell over the cave.  
  
For a moment Kagome just sat there, thankful for the silence but it quickly turned to confusion by the sudden change in the atmosphere. When she opened her eyes her gaze was immediately dragged over to the entrance of the cave, right in front of the waterfall, where all the other women were looking at. In the shadows there stood a bent over figure, regal even in obscurance, the mist of the water falling on its head. Her eyes widened at the strange shape and the obvious effect the shadow figure had on the women...  
  
THE FUTRE  
Mrs. Higurashi leaned against the doorframe, just outside her daughter's room, a goofy smile on her face as she walked away down the hall. 'So I was right! Well knowing Kagome I'll just keep him here for a bit. I did see a wonderful dress the other day at the mall and I DO need a day of pampering...'  
  
She walked away, eagerly planning the next day.  
  
FEUDAL JAPAN  
A miniature, green toad demon was walking around outside, around the castle grounds. The youkai, if you could call him that, was running around frantically searching for something. Of course since it was night-time he missed about half a dozen good hiding places.  
  
In fact, he wasn't really putting much of an effort into the search, he was walking around aimlessly while complaining about the duty more than anything. He was more concerned about what would happen to him if his lord found out that it was all his fault, while cursing his luck that he got stuck as a babysitter. AGAIN!  
  
"Stupid girl, NOW where did she run off to? I TOLD her not to take too much of those herbs! Stupid female problems! Why did we have to get a girl, why not a boy? Women are crazy, the whole lot of them, and ours is no exception!" The tiny toad man continued in his high, nasal voice, muttering to himself and kept on ''searching'' for her. Hoping that she at least made it into the castle or else his lord was going to be "most displeased!"  
  
:.:.:.:.:.:  
A slender figure lay on the wooden floor, face down and slightly turned to the side. The starlight spilled in through the windows in the wide hallway, shinning down on her. Her long raven hair fanned out around her, the soft lighting making it shine and glisten as it curled around her arms and back. Her yellow, white and orange kimono accented all her curves and the slenderness of her waist and hips; it also bared one long, flawless, tanned leg. While one arm cushioned her head, the other was flung out to in front of her, the hand loosely curved in a child-like gesture.  
  
The lord of the castle stood in the hall and looked at the figure, 'She needs a new kimono, this one is too small again.' He thought to himself as he noticed the several inches between the hem and her ankles, and how easily her leg had slipped out of the folds of fabric as she lay there. Her leg was free all the way up to practically her hip, while the other was straight out behind her. The way she lay kept her position innocent instead of indecent.  
  
He looked at the girl some more and remembered how she liked to sleep like that. 'It's like she has something to hang on to that is lying next to her. Something to hold to her so that she uses an arm and a leg to keep them close...'  
  
His face remained as smooth as glass and just as expressionless as he contemplated the puzzling thought before bending down to scoop her into his arms. His silver hair glittered under the starlight and fell like a curtain around the girl as he bent down. He stood in a smooth, graceful movement and flicked his ankle-length hair back so that it didn't get tangled with her body, while adjusting her kimono all in a practiced, almost automatic movement. In the blink of an eye he was making his way down the hall with a perfectly clad girl in his arms.  
  
The girl automatically hooked one arm around his neck and instinctively snuggled deeper into his warmth. The lord held her closer in response to her actions, feeling oddly protective, even after all the years they had been traveling together. Confusion, uncertainty, anger, and a dozen other emotions ran through him but he gave no outward sigh of it. His face and manner would be the same if he were facing the end of the world.  
  
He arrived at her rooms and carefully sat her on top of her futon; he gave a slow, almost lazy blink as the light creeping in through the windows illuminated her flawless, peaceful face. Her long lashes were like thick black lace, her rosy cheeks, and plump pink lips. He took it all in and filed the image away like always, never forgetting. He reached to the base of his neck and gently uncurled her fingers from his hair, holding her hand as he laid it down beside her. She immediately clutched her hand and turned to her body-sized pillow, she flung a leg and arm on top of it and hooked them on it. Holding it close to her.  
  
Golden eyes stared down at her impassively, like the eyes of a doll. Shiny and beautiful, but no more comprehensible. His hand tingled where he had last held her hand, protesting to the loss of heat from her skin. His arms felt empty as soon as he had set her down, 'She is around fifteen now, perhaps that is why she has this effect on me, plenty time for choosing a mate. She could need to interact with her kind and choose a mate.'  
  
The lord brushed away the feeling of unease and unexpected fury at the thought of his Rin taking a mate. He gave one more, unreadable, long blink before he stood, turned and walked out of the room in search of Jaken so as too beat him for letting her take too much of that medicine. He should of measured out the dose, the idiot toad.  
  
Sesshomaru fought the instinct to let his hand curl in on itself, trying to hold the feel of her hand in his. Anybody watching would have seen nothing; only he knew how hard he fought to keep the tiny gesture from betraying him. He was Lord Sesshomaru and was above such human gestures.  
  
As he stepped out of his home his hand hung loosely by his side like always.  
  
.............................................................................................................................................................  
  
O.o Wow so much going on! How did I do with Shesshy's character? Oooo I'm gonna have fun with him! I swear that I tried to keep the suspense/ cliffys just enough so that it'll flow into the next chapter. Well anyways this chappi just put everything in motion for the ones to come, so much fun!!!! 


	17. WEDDING BELL BLUES

Sorry that this one took so long but my mom has been taking the car to work since my dad took the other car so I haven't been able to go to the office to use the spell check. SORRY! But don't worry, more time to write, right? n.n;  
  
Disclaimer: Sesshomaru and the Barney Song people! SO not going to happen!

.............................................................................................................................................................  
  
WEDDING BELL BLUES  
  
'Freedom! Just a couple of more hours and then I'm out of here!'  
  
Koharu was sitting on her futon, the sliding, rice paper doors that opened to her garden in the back of her house were ajar and she was content to just listen to the lazy, early-morning noises that wafted in through them. She basked in the soft, familiar sounds that signaled the village's first stir's of the day, not quite awake but not asleep anymore either.  
  
The soft, wash of dawn spilled into her room, and with it a thrill ran down her spine. He had already stopped by to go over the fine points in their little scheme. She took pride in the fact that she had surprised him, yet again, by coming up with some damn good ideas that they would use if things went wrong. 'I hope nothing does go wrong, I really want to see papa one last time.' Soon after the boy had returned to his rooms to wait for the rest of the house to wake up so Koharu could say her goodbye's and they could pretend to ask the elder for his blessing.  
  
In the meantime Koharu sat watching the birds flying all over the garden, their vibrant trills and various songs cheered and calmed the girl. This was the only time that she really had to herself, these few precious moments just past dawn and before the village was up. Soon she would have to face them all, again, and deal with their glaring disapproval and barley- disguised contempt.  
  
But today was the last day, today she would be leaving with the stranger and she would never have to see them again. A smile curved her lips without her noticing, with a jolt she realized that this was the first time she had honestly smiled in years. And with that realization her resolve strengthened, 'I have to do this, I'm sorry papa but I cant stay here anymore and the way I'm leaving will give you peace. I promise to return later, but for now I need this.'  
  
Smiling happily Koharu wiped away the silent tears that had escaped her and focused on the pleasant scenery her garden provided. She frowned when she saw that the sun was in its full, morning glory. She had been so lost in her thoughts that the time has escaped her, 'Papa hasn't stopped by yet with the news that the stranger wants my hand and those noisy girls that always come by around this time are strangely absent... Something isn't right.' Puzzled Koharu concentrated on the sounds inside her home and what she heard was NOT good.  
  
So faint that if she breathed wrong she would miss it, were the sounds of the "missing" village girls talking to her father. Koharu narrowed her eyes slightly as she caught the faint words and, being an expert herself, she realized that they were stalling him. 'Why would they want to stall papa? What are they up to?'  
  
Determined to find out what was going on in her own home Koharu got up and stepped outside her room, making her way toward her father and the girls, but as she passed the hall that the boy was in she caught the definite sounds of muffled scuffling. 'What is he doing?' Curious she detoured to the boy's room and stopped just outside his door.  
  
Stubbornly Koharu pushed aside the worm of guilt that was burrowing inside her for eavesdropping on him and pressed her ear to the door...  
  
:.:.:.:.: THE PRESENT  
Dawn slid through the inky night sky in a soft, pure white light, slowly spreading its warmth through the air. As the first rays of daylight reached inside the window and curved onto Inuyasha's cheek his ears gave a twitch as he awoke.  
  
Groggy with the emotional strainer he had gone through the night before Inuyasha slowly and carefully sat up on the bed. His entire body felt stiff and brittle, almost like if he moved to fast he would break. He frowned his confusion at his body's odd behavior until the previous nights events came flooding back and he knew that he was feeling the after effects of Kagome's memories/experiences. It was as if he'd taken a thorough beating the night before and was feeling the aftereffects.  
  
Because he had been human the visions had more of an impact on him, especially the emotional parts. They left his body feeling raw and abused, despite the fact that there wasn't a scratch on him. It filled his eyes with a haunted expression as he recalled all the pain he'd put her through, desperately he looked out at the beautiful summer morning and let his thoughts carry him away. It wasn't until the soft knock on the door, announcing the entrance of Kagome's mother, jolted him out of his pensive mood that he remembered that he needed to go back to his time. But by then it was too late.  
  
She said, oh so innocently, "Inuyasha, hon, would you mind taking care of the house and Souta when he comes back while I go out to do some errands?" The look on her face would have put Miroku to shame and Inuyasha fell hook, line, and sinker. Angels couldn't have managed to look more innocent.  
  
"Uhh, sure, I guess. Do I have to do anything in particular?" He found himself agreeing, while he was still arguing with himself whether he should stay or go after Kagome, before he realized that he'd even opened his mouth.  
  
Stifling a giggle at the hanyou's obvious struggle Kagome's mother barged on, "Iie, just keep Souta and Grandpa from ruining the house if they decide to stop by. Father is in his shed pouring over some artifacts and Souta is at a friend's where he spent the night. Oh and if you get bored there's plenty of ramen in the kitchen and your free to use Souta's games if you get bored." She consoled him cheerfully.  
  
Despite himself Inuyasha instantly felt better, 'RAMEN!' Besides how could he not agree? 'It's Kagome's mother for crying out loud, not some demon! What harm could it do to keep an eye on the house?' Somehow that thought didn't make him feel any better...  
  
:.:.:.:.: FEUDAL JAPAN  
Sango woke up to the smell of cooking eggs and the distinct aroma of frying bacon. She looked around the camp and noticed that Hakkaku was already gone, Ginta was missing and Miroku was cooking breakfast with some of the food from Kagome's pack. 'Seems I'm the last one up.'  
  
With that she started to get up and help Miroku but he waved her off, "Go get ready Lady Sango, I have this under control. I am not Inuyasha. Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes so be quick about washing up or the food will get cold, oh and if you see Ginta please tell him to hurry up with that water."  
  
"Hai," stifling a yawn she made her way toward the river with an obedient Kirara in tow, leaving a faintly amused monk behind them. He watched them leave, shaking his head at their "morning ritual".  
  
On her way there Sango groggily told Ginta the message as they met at the river's edge then, for all appearances, tried to drown herself in the water.  
  
The way she just flung her body, fully clothed, into the freezing river would have alarmed anybody who didn't know her. However Kirara had been with her mistress for years and she just let the tremendous wave Sango had created splash over her. Neither worried about the fact that they were soaking wet, they would dry soon enough under the summer sun's fierce rays.  
  
After the dunking, both were significantly more awake and, with a thorough shake, made their way towards camp... and Miroku's cooking!  
  
:.:.:.:.: THE FUTRE  
"Whoa, what happened here?" Souta was standing just inside his room, his lanky frame leaning against the doorframe. His room was knee deep in ramen; ice-cream tubs; Dorito bags, Cheeto bags, and several other flavors of chips; bags of cookies and candy. Lots and lots of candy.  
  
Suspiciously there was a space in front of his blaring TV that was clear of the mess. With a soft ::click:: Souta shut off the TV and looked around his trashed room. ::Sigh:: "I hope that Ryuji didn't do this or else mom is gonna kill me. Kami this is worse that when Kagome and her friends have a sleep over!" He moaned.  
  
And that's when he heard it. He waited a second and sure enough, there it was again, "uuuugghhhh."  
  
He followed the source of the piteous sound and was more than a little surprised when it led him to a seriously hurting Inuyasha who was curled in on his side on his sister's bed in a tight fetal position, clutching his stomach... with a junk food smudged face that was tinged a very ill looking green. Even his puppy ears had a wilted, green tinge to them.  
  
At the sight of the miserable hanyou Souta easily put two and two together and burst out laughing, much to Inuyasha's dismay. With another long moan Inuyasha leaned over the bed and threw up all over the floor... and Souta's size eleven shoes. "Awww man! These were new sneakers too!" His laughter died down to a few giggles as he bent over Inuyasha's head, his wild and slightly too long hair spilling around him.  
  
"Come on, Inuyasha. We gotta get you to the bathroom so you can finish throwing up the rest of all that junk-food!" And after a quick glance at the vomit covering Inuyasha's hair and clothes he added, "Not to mention that now you need a shower and some new clothes... these are trashed!" Was his cheery reply; with that the two made their way to the bathroom where they spent the next two hours over the toilet...  
  
:.:.:.:.: FEUDAL JAPAN  
Kagome was sitting on a boulder near a small trickiling waterfall that flowed into a small drinking pond. She was talking with an old woman who reminded her of her long dead grandmother, they were laughing over the scare that she had given them all the night before when she arrived at the cave. The woman had sheepishly admitted to wanting to see her. So she had done the obvious and left her private cave to go and do so, scaring everybody in the process since most knew that she almost never left her cave unless there was trouble... and because she had a flare for the dramatic. It was no coincidence that she had appeared the way she had.  
  
"But seriously child, there is a reason for my seeking you out. I have heard that you are one of those human Miko's and I wished to see for myself if this was true," the old woman confessed, her weathered old face was deeply tanned from being out in the sun all the time and had deep folds all over. Her thick, grey hair was in a long, french braid down her slim back and the brown wolf pelt dress she wore was a old, yet clean, one.  
  
She was one of those few elderly women who instead of expanding and shrinking all at once with age, had kept her slim figure from youth and grown all the more graceful with the passing of time. She held her back in a straight proud line, managing to look frail and sturdy all at once. If anything she looked like she could definitely hold her own against any of the younger women, yet she could easily pull off the fragile- grandmother routine.  
  
Her kind, hazel eyes twinkled as she looked at Kagome, there was mischief in those eyes to rival Shippo's. "Hai. I'm just starting my training and can do a few basic spells, among other things. But I still have a long way to go." Kagome answered truthfully. "Good! That means that you are still pliable. I will be able to teach you many things! ... If you wish to learn that is." Was her eager, yet hesitant reply.  
  
In truth the old woman yearned for an apprentice to pass on her learning's to. See, as a young woman she had traveled all over Japan and had learned many things in her travels but nobody seemed to want to learn from her. It was a shame because she knew many useful tricks.  
  
Kagome saw the glint in her eyes and figured that it couldn't hurt. 'Besides, I DO need someone to help me train since I basically tapped out Kaede's knowledge...' With a big smile Kagome relented, "Hai, I'd love to train with you!" She replied. The old woman was ecstatic and the two began to talk shop.  
  
:.:.:.:.:  
Three hours later, around one that afternoon found Kagome still talking to the old woman, Miyu was her name, when Ginta, Sango and Miroku arrived at the mountains. After dropping off Kagome's things and a quick hello to her Miroku left with Ginta to personally asses the wolves situation, while Sango and Kagome walked off to a nearby pond for a swim and some girl-talk.  
  
"Say Kagome, where's Shippo? With the way he was acting before I thought he'd be close by." With a giggle Kagome told her friend where the kitsune was, "Well, the youkai women thought he was absolutely adorable, so their playing with him right now... and inflating his ego by gushing over him, ::sigh:: I just hope that he doesn't get too carried away."  
  
Sango responded with a understanding nod, "Hai, we don't need another Inuyasha in the--" with a sickening feeling in her gut Sango caught her slip and immediately apologized for her carelessness. "Kagome I'm SO sorry! I- I didn't mean to bring him up so soon--"  
  
With a soft sigh Kagome gently interrupted her friend, "Its ok Sango, you didn't know. I suppose I should tell you what happened after I left... It's just really hard. It still hurts." Sango rushed to comfort her, "It's alright Kagome, you don't have to tell me."  
  
"No, I think I need to tell some one. You guy's deserve to know, besides Miroku will find out sooner or later and I prefer him knowing the real version. Besides I'm going to have to face him sooner or later... Where is he anyways? I didn't see him at the village, is-- is he with her? Or does he just not want to see me?" Kagome's voice had started out strong but had ended up in a faint whisper. Sango winced at the pain in the girls voice and decided that her story could wait.  
  
Besides, they had arrived at the pond, after a quick, silent, change of clothes Sango steeled herself, hoping that she didn't make things worse with her input.  
  
"Why don't you tell me your version first, I don't really know what happened..." Sango worded carefully, trying to lead her friend away from those kind of thoughts. The two girls dove into the refreshingly cool water and Kagome began her story...  
  
:.:.:.:.: OVER IN KOHARU'S VILLAGE  
"Come on don't be shy!" Came the soft purr from inside the stranger's room. Koharu stifled a gasp, 'WHAT is going on here?' She concentrated harder on the muffled voices in the room.  
  
"Stop! How did all of you get in here? Let me go!" Came the boys blistering reply, as he mentally beat himself up for letting those girls sneak up on him in the first place. "Uh, uh, uh. None of that now. You WILL wed one of us. Now either play along or we will tell the village that YOU seduced US. Who do you think the village will believe you? Or us?" One of the girls rebuked him softly before returning to the seductive purr, "Now play along, we promise that this wont hurt."  
  
Koharu stood frozen outside the door; NEVER in her life did she think those girls were capable of that! 'I can't believe that Yusa would do something like that!' she thought as she recognized the speaker's voice. 'Sure, she always starts trouble with me but I never thought her capable of this!'  
  
She made a quick decision and barged into the room, startling the girls surrounding the boy who was supposed to be her ticket out of the village before they returned to thier task. His freckles stood out harshly against his now pale face. His honey, brown eyes pleaded with her to help him and at the same time cringed at the thought of what she might be thinking about seeing him in the situation he had fallen into.  
  
"What do you think you are doing, and in my home no less!" Koharu hissed at the four girls holding the slender boy down and the fifth, Yusa, who stood above him. They only ignored her, intent on their task.  
  
It wasn't until she pulled the girl closest to her off the boy's leg and knocked her unconscious that they all turned to her. 'Damn. I didn't want to hurt them but if I don't knock them out they'll only keep coming!'  
  
The boy was so surprised that he didn't even notice that a leg was free.  
  
Yusa narrowed her eyes at Koharu. 'This could be a problem. But I want him! I've been waiting for the right one to come along and now that he has I will not let him go. He would be the perfect husband!'  
  
"Well? Answer me!" Koharu demanded in her best "authoritive" voice. Suddenly Yusa smiled at her, but the surprises didn't end there. What she said next stunned the poor girl like nothing else. "Koharu, you finally found out about our little group. I suppose you've realized that most of the good-looking men passing through here wed one of us and that this is the way that we get them to. But that doesn't matter. How would YOU like a husband? If you keep quiet about this I promise you that we will help you find somebody to marry you," Yusa coaxed.  
  
Koharu could only blink at the girl's confession on how they had gotten their husbands, trying to absorb what she had just been so callously told. 'How... sad.' "Come now, Koharu. You know that without our help you will never find a man who will have you. Join us and we will find you a husband to rival that old monk of yours." Yusa purred, trying to entice the younger girl.  
  
Koharu could only stare at the seventeen-year-old girl in front of her, confused at the events taking place right before her eyes. 'She- she's the village beauty! Why would she do this?!'  
  
And indeed the girl was very beautiful. She had a trim figure that her red kimono set off wondrously. Creamy, alabaster skin and glossy, curly black hair that fell to her elbows. But it was spoiled by the coldness in her eyes, eyes the pale grey of cold winter skies, and the tight, cruel lines around her eyes and mouth. Lines that shouldn't have been there on one so young.  
  
Truth be told Koharu didn't see that, nobody did... except the boy. He saw and he was scared of what this girl could, no, would do. She had an air about her that said that she was used to getting her way and wouldn't let anything stand in her way.  
  
Koharu took a deep, shuddering breath, straightened her spine and turned her own stormy blue eyes to Yusa's cold grey one's. For some reason Yusa had always scared her, but lately it had gotten worse. And standing up to her took more will power than was pretty, but she managed it. "Iie"  
  
It came out in a whisper, but it didn't waver and Koharu took strength from that.  
  
The fine lines around Yusa's mouth deepened and her already cold eyes hardened to something that would have raised any demon's hackles. "Fine, have it your way." She snapped, but before she had time to do anything she found the ground rushing up to her.  
  
In a flash Koharu and the boy went to work. They knocked all the girls out-cold before Yusa could get her wind back, let alone get up and yell for help. With a strategically placed blow Koharu knocked the older girl out as she finally started to stand up.  
  
The pair looked at the mess surrounding them and after a shared look scrambled to set things to rights before Koharu's father made his way to them. Koharu went and got some strong, MARKED sake, while the boy placed the girls into a compromising position. When she made her way back they spilled the sake on them so that it seemed that they had passed out from it and stolen it from the village stores.  
  
Afterwards Koharu wrote a note to her father telling him about what the girls had been doing and to be careful around them. Telling him to wait until they tried it again before exposing them, and that they had tried to beat her and planned seduce the boy but he had already left. She "confessed" that she was going to find the boy because she was in love with him. With that said, she ended the note by telling her papa that she loved and would miss him.  
  
The boy also wrote a note, telling the elder that he felt uneasy about something and that he had to leave in the middle of the night, but was thankful for his hospitality and was sorry to run off as he did but his mission called out to him and would not leave him be. He finished by asking him to tell Koharu goodbye for him, and if she would please wait for him. He wanted to ask her something after his mission was completed.  
  
Satisfied with their handy work they both gathered their things and left the village, shaken and more that a little happy to be out of there. They left easily since half the village was still asleep and slow from the previous nights celebrations despite the late hour.  
  
:.:.:.:.:  
As they left a child with lilac hair woke-up with a start. His sheets were soaked in sweat, his hair and pale clothes were plastered with it.  
  
He was Yusa's adopted younger brother, a boy a couple of villagers had found in the forest a while ago and brought to the village. It was soon after that Yusa's mean streak had grown and her friends had started their husband schemes.  
  
He was a strange looking child but he was a child nonetheless and they could not leave him without a home. Although, if they knew about the dreams the boy was having they wouldn't have been so eager to take them into their midst.  
  
His lilac eyes were haunted with his dreams as a dark, shadow-shape lurked beneath the glassy surface, just waiting to come out. With a visible shudder the ten year old boy got out of bed, dutifully changed his bed and went outside to help his "mother" with the morning chores... .............................................................................................................................................................  
  
OOOoooo how was THAT for a twist? n.n Truthfully I didn't plan on adding Akago to the plot but when I fixed the prologue it just sort of happened so here he is! And yes he will have a special role to play in the story. As for the Inuyasha part of it I just wanted to have a reason for keeping him there for a while. And no, Kagome's mother is NOT evil she's just mischievous.  
  
Ok the next chapter is the continuation of the rest of the day and reintroduces some of the other characters! Im having so much fun writing Sesshy! [stars in eyes].  
  
Oh and please read the revised prologue, It's better than what I had before. Allot more details. Go on read it! PLZ?


	18. MEET KIBA

Ta da! A new chapter! Wooo hooo!!! And now, chapter 18!  
  
Disclaimer: When Naraku don's Shirley Temple pigtails, a pink frou-frou dress and a HUGE lollipop is when I will own Inuyasha. .............................................................................................................................................................  
  
MEET KIBA  
  
He was merciless and incredibly fast. Sweat poured down her face and back as they sparred under the suns harsh rays. In a flash he landed a blow to the girls ribs that was sure to leave a bruise and still, all she could do was try and block his blows. Try being the operative word.  
  
The calm, picturesque summer afternoon was spoiled by the constant clanking of wooden staffs colliding and the strained grunts as two figures continued to spar.  
  
'When I asked him to train me I never thought that it would be like this! Kami, he's good! I mean I thought I was good, but then again, Iv never left the village and it's obvious that this boy is a wanderer. So of course he knows more than me, that's why I chose him! It's just that I figured that he'd show me how to polish off my moves not destroy everything that Id THOUGHT I knew and tell me that I had allot to learn!'  
  
The two had been at it for over an hour now and Koharu was exhausted, she was so tired that more and more often the boy managed to catch her fingers on the staff when she blocked one of his blows. With a final blow to her thigh and a swift one to the back of her knees that landed her on her back the lesson ended.  
  
As Koharu coughed and tried to drag some much needed air into her strained lungs the strange boy smiled down at her, a small twinkle in his honey-brown eyes. 'You know, with the sun directly behind him like that I can kind of see why Yusa and her friends wanted him so badly... but my Miroku is still better!' She told herself, while ignoring the faint, pleasant tingle in her stomach at the sight of him.  
  
With a faintly amused shine in his eyes the boy swiftly pulled her to her feet, "You'll need to treat the bruises and stretch for a while so you don't wake up TOO stiff tomorrow." He told her with a sympathetic smile, Koharu just grunted her response while he set off to find them their dinner...  
  
:.:.:.:.: THE FUTRE  
Inuyasha finished splashing cold water on his face, "Kami! What kind of food does this time have?!" He muttered darkly. Laughing softly, Souta finished adjusting the water before answering the hanyou's question. "The kind that if you eat it the way you did will give you a horrible stomach ache! Damn, Inuyasha! You ate practically the entire pantry! Even Kagome and her friends don't eat that much! Come on, get into the shower while I find you some clothes."  
  
When Inuyasha shot him a horrified look and stepped back clutching his dirty clothes Souta turned a questioning glance at him, "You DO remember how it works right?" When Inuyasha only nodded, with the same look on his face, Souta suddenly remembered what happened the last time and found himself trying to hold in his laughter once more.  
  
"Don't worry Inuyasha, the water is fine this time. Not too hot, I promise! Come on, get in." He reassured the demon boy. Inuyasha reluctantly stepped out of his remaining clothes, stood under the water and found it to be perfectly fine, relief washed through him.  
  
Souta ran out of the bathroom, red-faced as he tried not to laugh in his friends face. But he didn't make it because Inuyasha, who was so relieved that the water was at a decent temperature, accidentally dropped the soap, stepped on it, grabbed the shower curtain to keep himself from falling and instead ripped the thing from the hooks. He ended up in a plastic bundle on the shower floor with the water cascading on his head.  
  
That was it. Souta found himself on the cold, tiled, bathroom floor holding his stomach as he laughed and laughed. He laughed until his sides hurt. 'Kami I don't even have this much fun with my video games!'  
  
A very embarrassed Inuyasha gave a disgruntled "Feh" and turned his hot face toward the water before returning to his shower, being careful of the evil bar of soap and opting to use the gel instead.  
  
Finally Souta regained enough of his composure to get up and go find him some clothes, still chuckling occasionally.  
  
:.:.:.:.: FEUDAL JAPAN  
Blood-red eyes glittered in the darkness as their owner paced the width of the cave. 'He cant have gone far! Damn Naraku for not trusting me with Akago's location! Kanna would know where to find him but I cant find her either!' Kagura let out a fierce, frustrated scream before resuming her pacing.  
  
'He has to be around here somewhere. We all felt Naraku's death! Why is he hiding? What does he gain by hiding?' She narrowed her eyes to tiny slits as a horrible thought came to her, stopping her in her tracks "He's done it before, he might be able to do it again... but if that was the case then why is Naraku not back yet?"  
  
Her eyes flashed dangerously in the shadows as she made her decision, with her mind made up her calm demeanor returned to her and she set out into the daylight to find the one person who could help her...  
  
:.:.:.:.: OVER AT THE WOLVES CAVES  
"...And you know the rest." Kagome finished her story in a soft whisper.  
  
Sango, who had been quiet until then, slowly drew a deep breath before letting it out in a huff. She honestly didn't know what to say in response to what she had just been told and was trying to find words that would help but they escaped her.  
  
How do you tell your best friend, whose like a sister to you, to suck it up after your "boyfriend" cheats on you like that? You don't. You cant. She couldn't.  
  
Instead Sango did what any sister would have done and hugged her friend. Silently offering what strength she could, she held her as deep racking sobs shook the other girls small frame and she let out all her pain and all the hurt.  
  
After a while Kagome took a deep, shuddering breath before determinedly wiping away her tears, "Thanks Sango, I needed that." She offered her a weak smile before they both switched gears and started talking about everything from the odd turn her miko powers had taken to her brother's way of getting rid of Hojo, which led to an explanation on what exactly "being gay" meant.  
  
:.:.:.:.: THE FUTRE  
"Come on, let's go clean up the mess in Kag's room _AND_ mine." Souta called through the now closed bathroom door before a modernly dressed Inuyasha stepped out into the hallway. "You know you're lucky my friends jeans and t-shirt fit you cuz nobody in the house is even close to your size. Although the bandana to hold all that hair does make you look like a pirate! Oh well, come on!"  
  
Ever cheerful, Souta herded a very miserable Inuyasha into his sister's room while he went to work on his own. Needless to say Inuyasha was NOT happy! "Stupid, human food! ::grumble, grumble:: Stupid hanyou powers that only help when I have a serious injury! ::mumbles incoherently:: Stupid human baths and possessed bars of soap! ::occasional curse::" and so on.  
  
With his ears plastered to his skull and his nose wrinkled at the disgusting smell of his own vomit Inuyasha finished cleaning Kagome's floor. He then made his way down the hall to Souta's room.  
  
With a grunt at the mess and strong aroma that was the cleaning detergents Inuyasha stepped inside to help clean.  
  
:.:.:.:.: AN HOUR LATER  
"Hey Inuyasha, stop staring at my sisters pictures and go take out the trash and while your there will you please get the front door, I need to finish mopping. After your last attempt at it I don't think its safe to leave you alone with the cleaning supplies." Was Souta's amused request while Inuyasha sputtered the he was NOT starring and failed miserably to repress the strong blush that had flared at being caught.  
  
With an irritated "Feh" Inuyasha grumpily made his way downstairs, 'Its not MY fault that those stupid "Keemikals" smell so bad and I just happened to trip over the bucket that held all that water... which led me to trip and spill some on that noise maker thing when I sneezed! I didn't put the fucking thing on the floor where anybody could trip over it!'  
  
Still grumbling to himself Inuyasha absentmindedly flung open the door with a "Yeha, what the hell do you want?" And nearly had a heart attack at who was standing in front of him with a startled expression.  
  
His hackles instantly rose and his upper lip curled back in distaste...  
  
:.:.:.:.: FEUDAL JAPAN  
The sky blazed beautifully with deep orange and red's and the occasional purple clouds that drifted lazily across the sky as the sun slowly sunk into the horizon.  
  
Koharu and her traveling companion sat around a cozy fireplace near a lazy river eating some finely roasted duck. "So, umm, guy. You don't have a name right?" Koharu asked timidly, she was itching to know more about him but she didn't want to ruin her chances at a great sensei.  
  
The boy visibly stiffened, the silence stretched so long that Koharu didn't think he would answer. When he did it was so abrupt that it caused her to jump. "Iie, I have a name... I just can't remember it." was his stiff reply.  
  
Silence engulfed the two as the girl looked across the fire at the stranger. His light, honey eyes had darkened to a deep brown, his lips had thinned down to a gash across his face and deep creases appeared at the outside corners of his mouth.  
  
He was no longer eating; instead he was pointedly looking at the ground hiding his expression with his shaggy brown hair.  
  
Suddenly her dinner didn't feel so welcome in her stomach as guilt ran through her, 'Way to bring up deep wounds on the guy Koharu!' With a last mental kick she made her way around the small fire to sit beside the boy. But when she was in position she found herself at a loss, 'What do I do? I've never consoled somebody before! Aw hell!'  
  
She tentatively put her arm around his slim shoulders and determinedly muddled through. "Look, I'm not really good at this but it seems to me that you could do worse than have no memories of your past. Besides it doesn't seem as if their lost forever, this--this mission that your on seems to be a huge clue about your past. I mean, how else could you know where you're going when you don't remember ever traveling around here?"  
  
He gradually relaxed as her words penetrated his foggy mind. He slowly looked up into her stormy blue eyes and for a second he seemed to drown in them. Blue and grey mixed and blurred with her emotions, hypnotizing him.  
  
He didn't realize that he was having a similar effect on her, his own brown eyes had darkened to a smoldering ebony until his pupils became lost in the iris, pulling her into their depths.  
  
Without noticing, both of them had slowly drawn nearer until their noses were almost touching.  
  
It wasn't until a spark flew from the fire and landed between them causing them to blink and breaking the "spell". They sprang apart as a deep flush covered both their faces and their minds tried to make sense of what had just happened.  
  
He sheepishly rubbed the back of his burning neck as he tried to cover up his embarrassment while Koharu simply blinked a couple of times before firmly pushing the feeling away. 'I'm just exhausted! It's just my imagination. Snap OUT of it!'  
  
As they both looked anywhere but each other an idea suddenly came to Koharu. "Oh! I know!" Startled the boy turned to look at her, "huh?" A faint, pink tinge graced her cheeks, the last of her blush as she turned excited, now baby blue eyes to him. "Kiba!" She shouted triumphantly, eagerly expecting some sort of reaction from him.  
  
The boy however was lost at her sudden outburst, "what?"  
  
Koharu bubbled out her jumbled explanation. "Kiba! You know, a name. Since you don't remember yours that's just as good as any! Besides it's a name from my past too. I can't remember from where since it's from when I was really little but its a good name, right? Well... what do you think?"  
  
The boy slowly rolled the name around in his mind and decided that he liked it. She was right, it was a good name and he did need one, so there it was. Although, if he subconsciously like it all the more because she suggested it he pointedly ignored it.  
  
So Kiba it was, his new name.  
  
:.:.:.:.: OVER WITH SESSHOMARU AND HIS GROUP  
A terrified shriek pierced the air, startling dozens of birds from their perches. In a shower of feathers and the sounds of frantically beating wings they flew away into the sky, leaving Rin alone in the forest with the men.  
  
She had screamed when they had suddenly stepped out from between the trees, something in their eyes frightened her and the way they were slowly walking toward her wasn't helping.  
  
They leered at her and continued their advances, "Come on, girlie. It wont hurt but for a second or two, hell you might even enjoy it!" one of them sneered at her. Frantically she turned to run but she was blocked by another one of the men, the reek of unwashed human reached her nostrils, making her recoil in disgust. The men saw this and were instantly angered. Fear settled in a cold lump in her stomach as Rin realized that she was surrounded. Everywhere she turned one of them was there to block her way.  
  
"Wench! Do you think your too good for us?!" Spittle flew from their mouth, their yellow teeth flashing at her. Rin's vibrant amethyst eyes were big and showed too much white in her panic. 'What is wrong with their eyes? What did I do this time?' In the back of her mind other attacks fluttered feebily, attacks she had long since blocked out but Rin didnt register them, again. To her it was just a feeling that seemed all too familiar.  
  
As one of them lunged at her she ducked and scrambled to escape through the opening he had left in the ring. But they were quicker. Another one grabbed her upper arm and spun her around so that she was trapped in his arms. She panicked and did the first thing that came to mind.  
  
She kneed him in the groin before pulling out of his hold and running away into the rapidly darkening forest. She didnt even register when she frantically called to the one she felt could save her, **_"SESSHOMARU-SAMA!"  
_**  
Her shrill, panic saturated voice reached the lord miles away on a grassy hill where he had been talking to Kagura. In an eye-blink he was gone, leaving the demoness talking to thin air.  
  
:.:.:.:.:  
Rin was running blind, tears streamed from her eyes as she threaded her way through the now evil looking forest. The slowly setting sun did nothing to aid her flight; in fact it only deepened the shadows so that she saw the men everywhere.  
  
Her heart thudded against her chest painfully and was so loud that she was sure it would give away her position. She clutched her chest as if to hush the beating muscle as she continued her mad dash through the forest.  
  
She was so lost in her flight that she didn't realize that the branches were tearing her kimono to ribbons along with her skin, leaving bloody rivulets. When a stray branch caught her long hair she let out a small shriek, the skeletal "hand" caused her to twirl around until with a hard yank she pulled free and continued running.  
  
She was so blind with terror that she ran smack into Sesshomaru, without realizing who it was she screamed and recoiled from the touch, unintentionally hurting the lord by her rejection. But when she saw who it was she threw herself into his arms, sobbing her relief.  
  
Confused as to why she was so frightened the lord looked down at the girl clinging to his neck and the smallest of frowns marred his face as he took in her appearance. When he heard the frustrated curses of the men making their way toward "their little lamb" he immediately put two and two together.  
  
His golden eyes, flashed with a furious glint as his gaze fell on the seven men who had finally stumbled into the clearing where he and Rin stood.  
  
At first the men were too stunned to do anything, 'where the hell did this freak come from?!' were their basic train of thoughts but they soon regained their composure when they realized that they easily outnumbered him and demanded their prize back.  
  
The men slowly encircled Rin and a stoic looking Sesshomaru. One of them smiled wolfishly at the two before reaching into his belt for his weapon, the others followed suit. Confident that they now had a even better prize they all chuckled at the two in the center of their circle.  
  
"Are you the little tramps lover?" One of them sneered while absentmindedly playing with his weapon. Another one of the men spat at their feet before his dirt covered face split into a anticipatory grin.  
  
Sesshomaru simply stared at them coldly, they were not worthy of a reply from him, while he mentally seethed at the humans who dared to attack his Rin.  
  
When they received no answer from him the men stopped laughing and were infuriated, "Are you too good to answer us? Well for that we'll fuck her right in front of you before we kill you!" And with that three of the men charged at Sesshomaru.  
  
Only to freeze in their tracks when his eyes flashed a bloody red. They never even had time to scream as he ran between them all in a white blur, cutting them into so much meat until all that was left of them were tiny bite-size pieces.  
  
A violently trembling Rin had her nose buried in the crook of his neck while her arms were buried in his hair and her legs hugged his waist. He had used his arm to hoist her onto him so that he could move freely to massacre the men without leaving her behind before he had moved to attack.  
  
Gently Sesshomaru brought his bloody claw to the back of her neck and supported her back with his forearm as he slowly walked away from the mess. With a delicate sniff he knew that she was not physically hurt, besides the scratches on her, and was just scared and confused.  
  
'Now I really do have to get her a new Kimono. This one is of no more use to her, ripped as it is.' Was his thought as he firmly pushed away the emotions running through him. Content to just hold the girl, safe in his embrace. The lord allowed himself that small privilege, to hold her to him, but nothing else betrayed him. If he had been human his heart would have been racing with his fear and anxiety. But he was Lord Sesshomaru and so his heart beat at a steady pace.  
  
He ignored the pair of red eyes glittering dangerously in the shadows. Kagura could wait until he finished taking care of Rin. After that was taken care of Jaken would need to be dealt with, he should have been watching her! Then and only if he was in the mood to humor the woman would he hear Kagura out. Besides she hadn't said anything of interest to him before he went to Rin.  
  
With a soft flap of her kimono Kagura drew her feather and threw it up into the air with more force than ususal and flew away. She realized that he would be of no use to her now, at least not for a while.  
  
:.:.:.:.: THE FUTRE  
**"WHAT THE _FUCK _DO YOU MEAN SHE'S _GAY_?!!!"** A thoroughly pissed off Inuyasha slammed Hojo against the hall wall and demanded some answers from the startled boy.  
  
Souta, having heard the commotion, rushed down the stairs and didn't know whether to cringe or start laughing at the scene the hanyou had made. It wasn't until Inuyasha brought some very deadly looking claws to Hojo's neck that Souta ran up to intervene.  
  
"Inuyasha! INUYASHA let him go!" He was furiously tugging at his arm but, not surprisingly, couldn't budge his hold on Hojo's neck. He'd put his entire weight on the hanyou's arm, in fact he was dangling from it, and he still couldn't loosen the strangling hold on Hojo's neck.  
  
Suddenly an idea occurred to him, with a thump Souta landed on his butt and scrambled up to see if his plan would work.  
  
[Kagome's voice] "Inuyasha! Let him go, unless you want me to **SIT** your ass all the way back home!!"  
  
It worked.  
  
Dropping a winded Hojo to the floor Inuyasha automatically cringed and braced himself for the plunge when he heard the all too familiar threat and waited to feel Kagome's wrath. Only the inevitable pain didn't come, and neither did the scolding.  
  
Confused Inuyasha opened his eyes and found a red-faced Souta with his hands covering his mouth in a vain effort not to laugh out loud. His eyes were glassy with the effort as Inuyasha glared angrily at him when he saw the tiny recorder in his hands. Finally Souta couldn't hold it any longer and let it out.  
  
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Awww man.... ::laughter:: who knew that... ::more laughter:: this thing... ::giggles:: would actually work!!!!" By then he was writhing around on the floor holding his aching stomach with tears running down his face.  
  
[A/N: Poor Inuyasha! He's not having a very good day is he?]  
  
After another five minutes of rolling around on the floor Souta finally calmed down enough to sit up. "What the fuck did you do that for?! Did you hear what the little worm said! If I remember correctly he said that Kagome likes, likes women instead of, instead of men!!" Inuyasha sputtered furiously.  
  
Souta simply pushed Inuyasha upstairs while explaining to him his little white lie to Hojo to get him to leave his sister alone. With a clearly pissed off grunt Inuyasha perched himself on Kagome's bed while Souta went back downstairs to try and smooth things over with Hojo...  
  
:.:.:.:.: FEUDAL JAPAN  
"Uhhh, guys I don't know about this." Kagome stood nervously by the youkai women and Sango as she modeled her new "pack" clothes. 'I know I said I'd dress the part after the youkai that are against Kouga brought it up but now I'm not so sure...'  
  
She was wearing some low-rider wolf pelt pants, modeled after her own jeans, and one of those shields that Kouga and some of the men wore... Except that it was a smaller version so that an indecent amount, in her opinion, of her abdomen was exposed. And to finish it off the blasted thing was held in place by two thin straps of leather to secure it around her neck. Some of the excess material had been used to provide a wrist sheath for her since she handled a bow.  
  
She was SO **NOT** comfortable in the top and judging by the look on Sango's face, neither was she. "She heaved a soft sigh as she realized the obvious trouble the women went through to put her in clothes resembling her own. However that didn't stop the pants from being uncomfortably hot, 'It just HAD to be fur!' She resignedly pulled her long, heavy hair into a high ponytail, hoping that it would help ease the stifling heat the pants caused.  
  
"Ok the pants I like," 'and I'm using the word lightly,' "as long as I can keep my shoes. I'm sorry but barefoot I'm likely to cut my feet open." At the sight of the women's reluctant nodding Kagome went over to put her shoes and socks back on.  
  
She sent Sango a pleading look as she made her way toward her shoes. With a understanding nod Sango asked the women, "Why is it that Kagome has to wear the shield when none of you have to?" As the youkai sat back and watched the Miko put the strange contraptions on her feet they answered her patiently.  
  
"Because she is a fighter and apprentice to Miyu-baba. All warriors must wear a shield in case they are wounded in battle, its protection. Although she will, most likely, never see battle. It is not a woman's place to fight, but since she is Kouga's woman and he has done things differently since day one are not so sure. But this is a tradition and we will continue to do things like so until we are told otherwise."  
  
The taijiya was seething inwardly at the women's words. 'Not a woman's place to fight?! Just let them _try_ to tell me I cant fight, I'll wipe the floor with them!' She mentally told herself as a small vein poped on her head.  
  
As her friend slowly turned red with anger Kagome gave a soft, resigned sigh before turning to face her "sisters." 'I hope Hakkaku finds Ayame soon!' With that comforting thought Kagome relented and they all made their way toward the male's cave and the ceremonial feast that would officially announce her as the future queen of the pack or some other important ceremony. She really should have paid closer attention to the womens constant chattering...  
  
:.:.:.:.: IN THE CLEARING  
Large, electric, cerulean eyes looked up at the sky. The man they belonged to spoke to no one in particular, "And so it begins" his deep voice rumbled through the air in its own electric current. Meanwhile pure green eyes glared at him, the woman's normally warm face was as lifeless as a statues.  
  
The trees and ground seemed to radiate her anger, "Did you know?" she hissed, her ankle-length ebony locks billowed out around her as currents of her own power swirled around her. "Did you know that that child would have to go through that so that Sesshomaru would--"  
  
The man smoothly interrupted her, "No." As if a switch had been thrown the anger disappeared and the woman sagged against a tree stump that had magically appeared behind her. She drew a deep, shaky breath as she swallowed the last of her power back into herself.  
  
The man turned sorrow-filled eyes to her; the electric currents ran sluggishly through the now navy blue of his eyes. "No I dint know that Rin would have to be attacked like that. I've talked to the fates but all they said was that he would get a push in the right direction and that the rest was up to him. Gomen-nasi but I know as much as you do, even with their cryptic messages."  
  
Heavy green eyes turned to look at the man; they glittered with the knowledge of what they would all have to go through before they reached the end. They shared a unspoken burden between them and offered each other what comfort they could before dutifully turning back to the bowl.  
  
.............................................................................................................................................................  
  
Wow that was looong! I hope that I didn't rush things with Sesshy and Rin and Koharu and Kohaku/ Kiba but I had to get the relationships set up. Not to mention that its been a while since Kagura and crew have been mentioned SO I put them in this one! And if Souta seems OOC its just cuz he was a baby when he was first introduced and he originally seemed like the cheerful type so that's how I put him! So until next time...  
  
Next Chapter: will have some Sesshy and rin fluff. **CAUTION:** it will be very strong fluff, cue the [R] rating, but its not a lemon, at least I dont think since theres no explicit wording. Ill post more warnings in the next chapter. 


	19. THE END OF A REALLY BAD DAY

WARNING: Yes this chapter will have some major fluff. NO its not a lemon but it does warrant an [R] rating so there! If you dislike anything of that kind dont read it, it WILL be labeled.  
  
Other than that enjoy the chapter!  
  
Disclaimer: Lawyers, meet my army of disgustingly cute... TELETUBBIES!!!! ::laughs evilly as they run away in fright:: That'll hold them for a while!

..............................................................................................................................................

THE END OF A REALLY BAD DAY  
  
The clear river water reflected the golden sandy shore and the trees cradling the entire clearing, all bathed in the bleaching effect from the moon and stars. The occasional gentle summer wind skimming over the surface made the reflections dance.  
  
Sesshomaru, still carrying a distraught Rin in his arm, stepped into the same clearing and after a quick debate (and a delicate sniff) decided on getting her to bathe, but she stubbornly refused to leave his side. Every time he tried to, however gently, pry her from him she started shaking uncontrollably. It frightened the lord enough (though he showed no outward signs of course) to give into her demands.  
  
So acting like it was his plan all along he set to give her a bath. With gentle squeeze for a warning Sesshomaru released his hold on her and began to remove his armor along with his shirts [A/N: What are the different layers called? Anybody? If yall know please drop me a quick line. So for now its just his shirts.]  
  
Then with a feather light touch he gently removed the girls kimono, a surprisingly easy task since it really WAS too small. He didnt even think of peeking at her, but when their bare skin made contact he faintly realized that he had a woman in his arms. However her need was more important than his own and he batted it aside.  
  
Then with a comforting hand at the back of her head he gracefully waded into the cool water, forming small ripples in their wake and dispersing the reflected images.  
  
Rin never even blinked during his administrations, confident in her Sesshomaru and happy to keep her face buried in his neck where his scent overpowered her and made her feel safest.  
  
He walked them toward the middle of the river where the water reached up to his waist and slowly lowered them in so that he was sitting on the pebbled bottom and Rin could sit in his lap. The water lapped at her collarbone and around chest level for Sesshomaru; perfect height for a bath.  
  
The water swirled around them with soft liquid sounds as the lord gently alternated between cradling her to him and rubbing her back, arms, face and anywhere else that she had been hurt. Under the heavy moon and starlight he could see the angry red welts that marred her silky skin and he felt a deep fury for the men who had attacked her.  
  
However it wasnt until he was making a light pass over her upper arm that she hissed in pain and he saw the deep purple bruise blossoming over her skin that he felt himself go still.  
  
Inside he raged at himself for letting her get into a situation like that in the first place, and battled against his demon nature that demanded blood. He went too easy on those filthy humans. He should have prolonged their deaths more!...  
  
:.:.:.:.:  
Rin felt Sesshomaru so statue-still around her and swam up past her own troubles to see what was wrong. Concerned when she spoke his name and no answer came she searched his face for some clue but even she couldnt decipher his thoughts. His eyes though, they were so cold, so empty. It frightened her.  
  
With a whimper she buried her face into the crook of his neck where his scent came through so strongly and started to nuzzle him without realizing what she was doing and the meaning such an action was to a inuyoukai.  
  
But it was enough to snap the lord out of his daze, however his blood lust had turned to another kind...  
  
:.:.:.:.: OVER WITH KAGOME  
Kagome sat beside a proud looking Kouga who was constantly grabbing her hand and making eyes at her. That, coupled with the amused glances coming from Miroku, the droning pack customs and the stifling atmosphere of the cave was enough to bring a dangerous twitch to her right eye.  
  
She had a pounding headache that refused to go away no matter how many Tylenol Extra Strength she took. With a desperate look in her eyes Kagome searched for her friends but Sango and Miroku were lost in the crowd and Miyu was nowhere to be seen either. Suddenly the old womans words came to mind and she let out a quiet groan.  
  
[FLASHBACK]  
"So, Miyu, I'll see you at the ceremony tonight?" Kagome asked the grandmother only to have her make a very amusing, and slightly disgusted face, before firmly replying, "Iie. I hate all the pointless going-on's during those things. A bunch of political nonsense they are!"

[END FLASHBACK]  
  
Kagome was so lost in her own depressing thoughts that she didnt realize the danger she was in. When one of the pack's men bellowed the challenge she nodded absently and all hell broke loose...  
  
:.:.:.:.: THE FUTURE  
Inuyasha was perched on a sturdy branch in the tree besides Kagome's window after fleeing from her room because he could hear, all to clearly, the voices filtering in from the first floor. So now he was comfortably sprawled on a leafy branch and calmly studying the starry night. The night's song calmed him as he waited for that Dodo guy to leave, his ears gave a twitch and a turn in order to hear the downstairs conversation better and he smirked cruelly.  
  
It seemed that Souta was having a tough time getting rid of the guy, 'Feh! Serves him right for laughing at me all day!' Was his malicious thought.  
  
But after twenty minutes of listening to the boy's voice he'd had it, even the usually calming sounds of the wind filtering through the leaves wasent enough to calm him. In a blur of red and white Inuyasha ran downstairs, grabbed him by the collar and threw him out the front door with a "Goodbye Toto!" and slammed the door shut.  
  
Surprisingly Souta was smiling, "I was wondering how long I'd take you to get down here and get rid of him!" He said cheerfully, unfazed by the hanyou's glare. Inuyasha noticed and gave a small, "Feh!" seems immunity to his glares ran in the family.  
  
Nevertheless he continued to glare at the boy until he was pushed forward by the front door opening and Mrs. Higurashii walking in loaded down with piles of packages. "Oh, gomen to whoever I just bumped into! I cant really see." Way to state the obvious.  
  
With a disgusted grunt Inuyasha grabbed all the packages, dumped them on the table and with a disembodied "Goodbye!" he was gone. A strong wind the only thing that signaled his departure.  
  
The two humans blinked a couple of times as they absorbed what had just happened before Mrs. Higurashii grinned widely and linked arms with her son. "So what happened today?" she asked innocently, Souta responded with his own toothy grin before he began to tell her as they made their way to the kitchen and the huge pile of groceries... enough groceries to completely restock the pantry.  
  
"How did you know?" He asked when he saw the contents. His mother only laughed.  
  
:.:.:.:.: FEUDAL JAPAN  
Inuyasha leaped from the well and made his way to the village, intent on one particular hut.  
  
"KAEDE!!! He bellowed as he arrived at the entrance. 'Where the hell is she?!' A thoroughly annoyed old woman came hobbling out and sent an icy glare at the hanyou. "Who do ye mean Inuyasha?" She asked calmly and purposely obtuse.  
  
"You know full well who I mean you old hag! Now tell me where the fuck Kagome's at!!" Inuyasha demanded, his ears were swiveling every which way in his agitation and his hands were curled into tight fists, his whole body sang with suppressed tension.  
  
Kaede simply continued to glare at the hanyou and icily replied, "She left. With Sango, Kirara, Shippo and Miroku."  
  
That stopped him, his next demand caught in his throat as it hit him: They left. Without him. They left him. He was alone again. His amber eyes clouded over as an old wound reopened.  
  
Kaede saw this and almost told him where she was but the children needed some time with him and she was sure that Kagome was not ready to face him yet... so she kept her cold demeanor and suggested what any buffoon should have realized, "Calm ye self Inuyasha. I am sure that they will return eventually. Kagome needs to use the well if she wishes to return to her time after all."  
  
Inuyasha heard her but it was as if she was talking from a distance, and the words barely registered in his foggy mind. Without another word he turned and fled into the forest.  
  
Kaede watched him go, mentally bashing his stubborn head in for what he had forced them to do in order for him to admit his feelings for the girl. With a sad lump in her throat she turned and looked at the children peeking from their doorways. They all exchanged a silent nod before returning to their sleep, tomorrow was going to be a busy day.  
  
:.:.:.:.: OVER WITH RIN AND SESSHY **[WARNING ?lime-ynes?]  
**  
Sesshomaru felt the gentle nuzzling at his neck and, despite his best intentions, he reacted to the caress. Without realizing what he was doing he trailed a clawed hand from Rins shoulder, down her side, skimming over the side of her breast, down her ribcage and to her hip while marveling at the softness that was her skin.  
  
However oblivious Rin was to the reasons behind his strange behavior she felt herself respond to his heated touch that the cool water did nothing to abate. She found herself arching into his hand and willingly allowing the pressure of the hand at her hip to lead her more fully into his lap. One there she found a strange object in his lap but ignored it, all she wanted was his touch.  
  
Sesshomaru happily complied, his hand roamed over her back and sides as his mouth made its way to her shoulder and he found that for the first time in years, he regretted the loss of his arm. He stubbornly pushed that thought aside and trailed gentle, burning kisses all over her shoulders and neck until he made his way to her jaw, cheeks, eyes and finally her mouth.  
  
Rin found herself feeling the most pleasant of feelings as her lord continued his administrations.  
  
When he started to kiss her neck he found a spot just below and behind her ears that drove shivers down her spine in the most pleasurable way. She automatically arched her neck to give him better access while letting out a soft mewl when he played with that particular spot.  
  
He found himself lost in her increasingly tantalizing scent and soft noises, he wanted to hear all the noises she had to offer and strove to see how many different sounds he could drive out of her. But when he found her mouth he forgot everything. His control wavered on the edge as his demon nature demanded he finish what he started.  
  
He deftly drove his tongue into her mouth and grinned when he heard her moan and felt her hips buck against his own.  
  
Startled at the odd feelings rushing through her and the even stranger object poking at her from Sesshomaru's lap, that really was quiet uncomfortable, Rin pulled back to look into her lords eyes. Her own widened when she saw that his normally cool amber eyes had darkened to a deep molten gold and were cloudy with... what she didnt know. It pleased her and frightened her, the look in his eyes.  
  
Her soft hands continued to play with his hair and massage his skull as he turned away to worship her neck some more. The fear was the kind you get when faced with the unknown and she wanted to know. She always wanted to know. With a soft, "Sesshomaru?" from her the lord stopped the suckling of her neck and froze. That soft, inquiring tone in her voice did more to calm him than any cold shower could.  
  
It was the voice of an innocent child who despite her eager reactions to his administrations did not know what she was doing. But he did. He drew a shuddering breath that tickled her neck and raised the fine hairs on her arms before straightening to look at her. "Its all right Rin." He told her in his normal calm, aristocratic voice. For a second she frowned at the sudden change in him but he told her it was going to be ok, so she relaxed in his tight embrace.  
  
Sesshomaru was deeply shaken but after that first breath his mask was back on and he gave no outward sign of it. Even his racing heart was back to normal.  
  
He tried to turn away from what he had just done but found that Rin was not letting go and come to think of it neither was he. In his mind he raged at the situation he had gotten himself into and for once wished that he was part human like his brother in order to run away from his own nature. But that very nature showed him the futileness of that wish.  
  
With an annoyed glint in his eye Sesshomaru stood up and walked over to the shore with Rin still wrapped around him. He cast a wary eye around the clearing and found a suitable place for them to spend the night. That settled he finally acknowledged the large puddle that had formed at his feet from their bodies and the amazing amount of water his pants could hold. He began to take them off since they were now so heavy that they were sliding off anyways.  
  
When he was done he had no choice but to set Rin on her feet and wait for them to dry in the summer night air while trying to ignore the enticing musky scent that came from her. With a mental snarl at the situation, since Rin was now asleep and innocently resting flush against him, he opted to just give her his own outer top until the morning when he could get her a new kimono. He slipped on the plain undershirt himself before gathering her in his arm and settling down to rest, nestled in the roots of a particularly large tree.  
  
The entire time, not once, did Rin let go of her hold on his neck.  
  
:.:.:.:.: OVER WITH KAGOME  
Kagome found that the cave was blissfully quiet and faintly wondered why but she was more grateful for the small miracle than curious as to why and missed the significant looks the others were sending her. [A/N: she is a bit spacey isn't she? nn]  
  
Miroku had jumped to his feet when the challenge had been made but it was too late and with a resigned air he waited to see the results.  
  
It wasnt until Kouga touched her shoulder that she was jolted out of her reprieve. As she focused glassy sapphire eyes on him she was surprised to find his face set into a hard mask and his own cobalt eyes were flashing with suppressed rage.  
  
His next words came out clipped and white-hot, "The challenge has been made and accepted. My queen, you must go and meet the challengers." Before he turned and looked back at the handful of youkai who stood in the center of a ring of their own pack members, and completely ignored her.  
  
Stunned Kagome just blinked before she found someone escorting her down there, to the very unfriendly looking wolf demons in the middle of the circle. Abruptly all sound returned with a roar and she caught the last of what Ginta was whispering into her ear. "... like in the forest and try not to get killed."  
  
Suddenly terrified Kagome found herself standing a few feet away from the men who were doing nothing to hide the contempt from their faces. Kagome recoiled from the looks of utter disgust before running into a wall of youkai. It seemed she either fought or... she fought. There was no choice.  
  
Suddenly one of them ran at her and without even thinking about it she put her shield up so that he ran into an impenetrable, invisible wall. Howling their rage all of nine of them attacked at once and were repelled. But protests ran through the crowd and she soon learned that she was going to have to defeat them and not just hold them back for the ordeal to be over.  
  
'What did Ginta mean by 'like in the forest'? What did I do?' Her eyes widened in realization and panic as she realized what he was talking about and the fact the she DIDN'T KNOW HOW to duplicate the effort.  
  
Meanwhile Sango had turned on Miroku and was furiously demanding to know what had just happened. "Now Sango there is no need to--" Miroku stated calmly while trying NOT get beaten to a bloody pulp.  
  
Too late since Sango had him pinned to the cave wall, "What is going on?! How can they just start attacking her like that! Why isn't Kouga stopping this?!" With each inquiry Sango had tightened the pressure on Miroku's neck until he couldn't answer even if he had wanted to.  
  
With a growl Sango abruptly backed away from him so she could pace her frustration, leaving Miroku to slide down to the floor and collect his breath.  
  
Once he was no longer wheezing Miroku calmly answered her questions, "My dear, (insert a growl from Sango) ahem, Sango. They issued a pack challenge to Kagome, warrior to warrior-- which come to think of it that must be why they made such a fuss about her dressing up like them..."  
  
By now Sango had stopped her furious pacing and had turned to look at the monk on the floor who was speaking as if he wasent covered in dust and using the wall for support. In a flash Sango remembered what the women had said about only warriors wearing that ridiculous shield.  
  
The taijiya's magenta eyes flashed dangerously at the memory. "So you mean that if Kagome hadn't agreed to wear that shield NONE of this would of happened?" She asked incredulously, Miroku turned worried violet eyes to her and nodded. "Hai."  
  
The two turned equally grim faces to the crown of youkai as the real weight of the situation came to light... _'Someone set Kagome up.'  
_  
:.:.:.:.:  
Her headache had escalated to a "Thor using me as a piñata" level. Every little noise hurt her head and since the racket the pack was making was NOT quiet she felt her control slipping. That tick in her eye had been replaced by veins popping up on her head. Anybody who knew her would have run for the hills but nobody in the immediate area was that fortunate.  
  
The crowd continued to bellow out their encouragements and opinions while the youkai in the circle with her pounded against the air and shouted their dislike.  
  
Her shield pulsed wildly, with each pulse everybody got a glimpse of a iridescent bubble and her control snapped. "BE QUIET!!!" She shouted, throughly startling everybody in the crowd and infuriating the ones fighting her. As four of the more eager ones ran at her Kagome encased them in their own individual, pearly shields and slammed them against the cavern walls.  
  
It seem that her shields could move.  
  
The dull ::Thud:: the four made as they collided with the stone and ::phump:: as they fell to the dusty ground bounced off the stone walls. It rang clearly through the now silent cave, but Kagome was beyond caring and only had eyes for the five remaining youkai in front of her. The cave and its occupants were gone, all that mattered were the rude youkai in front of her.  
  
:.:.:.:.:  
Sango and Miroku saw the youkai fly over their heads and slam painfully against the wall, only to fall unconscious onto the floor a few feet away from them. The two stared at the wolf demons in amazement before turning excited eyes toward a now scary looking Kagome.  
  
:.:.:.:.:  
  
You would have thought that seeing their brothers learn to fly would have been enough to deter the others but no. In fact it seemed to enrage them even more. With a snarl all five of them charged at Kagome.  
  
Still seething from the rude comments they had made Kagome had no trouble wrapping two shields around two of them and banging them around in midair. But that left three unaccounted youkai who were free to attack her. They finally got smart and started to use their speed to their advantage.  
  
Kagome soon had three brown blurs circling her, she felt their anticipation of the hunt and she didn't like it. She easily immobilized one of the demons with one of invisible shields and plucked the other two up into the air. She began to slam them against the walls and each other until she was sure they were unconscious but the exertion of using so many of her visible shields took allot out of her and the last youkai being held immobile by the invisible shield was able to break loose.  
  
With an evil smirk on his face the wolf demon charged and was past her before Kagome realized that he had moved. However his smirk changed to a howl of pain as the pain from his claws finally reached his brain. With a howl he began nursing his broken and bloody claws.  
  
Silently Kagome thanked Kami for the idea to put up a shield around herself before she drew her hand back and a iridescent, giant fist appeared in the air. Before the youkai even had a chance to look up she brought it down and he was out.  
  
"Hmph! Jerks!" With that said her already spotty vision blacked out completely and Kagome passed out. Immediately Sango ran forward to her friends side, followed closely by Miroku. With an almost imperceptible nod Miroku scooped Kagome up and they made their way toward Miyu's cave. Leaving a speechless wolf pack behind...  
  
:.:.:.:.: IN A DIFFERENT MOUNTAIN  
Hakkaku sat around a warm fire, underneath the night sky, calmly talking with Ayame. He was badly beaten but had finally managed to calm the girl down enough so that he could explain things to her, only to find himself in an even worse situation than before because now he had a crying youkai on his hands.  
  
He didnt know why she was crying; all he knew was that she had burst into tears as soon as he had mentioned that Kagome had agreed to mate Kouga... Oh! Oops.  
  
He quickly explained the situation, and was proud (and more than a little relieved), when she stopped crying.  
  
Only that instead of immediately agreeing to the plan she hesitated, "I dont know Hakkaku. I mean at first I wanted Kouga at any cost, but now... I know that this human doesnt love him, but he doesnt love me either! I--I dont know if I could live with that..." was her choked reply.  
  
Hakkaku visibly paled, an amazing feat when his face was illuminated by the warm firelight. Desperately he pleaded with her, "Please, Ayame! At least come to the mountains with me and see what Im talking about!"  
  
Ayame cut him off though, her puffy, red-rimmed, emerald eyes glared at him. "I know that your pack is in trouble! Even all the way over here Iv heard the news!" "Then why wont you help us?!" He asked, confused by her logic. "Dont you think I WANT to help Kouga!" She yelled at him, "Then why wont you?!" he yelled back.  
  
"BECAUSE IM AFRAID OF GETTING HURT!" With that she burst into tears again, leaving a stunned Hakkaku gaping at her.  
  
He opened and closed his mouth several times but no words came out, finally he heaved a heavy sigh and put in cautiously, "At least come to the mountains. You can talk to Kagome, she is very nice and I think that she will be able to help you. Please?" He begged.  
  
Defeated Ayame nodded reluctantly, her face still buried in her hands.  
  
Tomorrow they would set off toward Hakkakus home.  
  
:.:.:.:.: BACK TO KAGOME  
"Why didn't you tell me that she had been marked?" Miroku asked increduosley while Sango managed to look properly ashamed. "Gomen Miroku but, truthfully, I forgot. When I met her under the Goshinboku she told me that he hadn't drawn any blood so I pushed it out of my mind. I, I never realized that their bond was so strong that the bruise would remain after so long." She told him softly.  
  
Miroku turned a worried face toward the now sleeping Kagome, the hickey on her neck was very light and partially hidden by the hair even now but its strength was still strong. When he had set her down on the bed roll he had accidentally brushed against the mark and Kagome had reacted... appropriately or inappropriately depending on who's point of view you took.  
  
The last of Miroku's blush still stained his cheeks as he remembered her reaction. 'Damn Inuyasha. I cant believe that you would leave her for Kikyo after her reaction by simply brushing against your mark... thats some pretty good work!--'  
  
He was interrupted by another smack upside the head from Sango. As he rubbed his aching skull he turned innocent violet eyes toward her. "Now my dear, may I ask why--" But it didn't work and Sango just glared at him. "Because, you lecher, I know that look on your face. I don't need to read your mind to know that you were cheering Inuyasha's marksmanship!" she told him hotly.  
  
Miroku sweat dropped. "Heh, well you got to admit--" but once again he was interrupted, "Can it!" She told him viciously. Miroku meekly did as he was told and wisely looked at the ground to hide the gleam in his eyes that would have given his satisfaction away at her little slip.  
  
However they both sobered up when Kagome muttered his name in her sleep. "Inuyasha."  
  
They both stepped outside after sharing a worried look and leaned heavily against a random boulder. "Lets just hope that whoever is responsible for tonight doesn't know about it and that Miyu can tell us something good after the meeting." Sango muttered tiredly to the night sky before dragging her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.  
  
Miroku muttered his assent before automatically draping an arm around her slim shoulders.  
  
..............................................................................................................................................

Ok so how was it? Am I going to slow? Loosing the plot? I hope I'm not pushing the Rin and Sesshy thing and that he didn't seem too OOC. And if Ayame is OOC its cuz the show hasn't really stressed her enough to know what she's really like.  
  
And yes I realize that everybody adds drama with a rape scene and soon after the character is fine and the way Rin and Fluffy act in this chapter is a prime example but its because Rin is more confused than scared by the whole thing. She didn't know why she was attacked just that they scared her.  
  
Oh and there might be a short lime in the next chapter depending on the responses with this one between Sesshy and Rin, nothing too explicit I promise. I swear it will be short if I even put it in. 


	20. MIKO DREAMS

A/N: Im going to change the title either a few hours after this has been posted or with the next chapter so keep an eye out for it!

Disclaimer: The disclaimer is currently unavailable due to the fact that the lawyers are busy beating the life out of the teletubbies... in fact they seem to be enjoying that a little too much. n.n;  
  
............................................................................ ...........................................................  
  
MIKO DREAMS  
  
The sky slowly changed from the pure white of fresh dawn to a brilliant baby-blue dotted with flawless white-cotton clouds before Miyu arrived back at her cave and promptly stopped short at the scene the two humans made.  
  
There they were fast asleep: the woman was snuggled into the mans neck with her arms around his waist while the man rested his cheek on top of her head and his arm hung limply from her waist while the other lightly held her hip.  
  
They made such a kawaii scene sitting outside her cave "protecting" their friend!  
  
With a amused shake of her head Miyu decided to let them sleep and turned to head inside and check on the the human miko. Only that as she was making her way past Sango and Miroku a golden staff blocked her way and a deadpan voice told her quite plainly, "We might be human and need to sleep regularly but we are not stupid. Kagome means allot to us and we would never let our guard down enough to let anything happen to her. Sleep or no sleep---_Miroku_!!!  
  
Miroku, who's hand had been stealthily been creeping its way toward her backside, immediately jumped back to her waist while he gave her a very innocent "who me?" look.  
  
The old woman laughed at the two's antics before apologizing for her previous assessment. She then eased herself down onto the floor with them and told them about the meeting.  
  
"So you are positive that nobody knows about it, nobody saw or smelled anything on her?" Sango asked eagerly, Miyu shook her head. "Iie. Either nobody knows... or they know but aren't talking. Lets just hope its the former." She told them grimly.  
  
Sango and Miroku both heaved relieved sighs, they were safe... for the time being.  
  
"Does she know what the mark means or even that she still has it?" The old wolf youkai asked, her sharp eyes boring into them. Sango sagged against the boulder and shook her head, "I don't think so. When I first saw it and asked her about it she didn't treat it as anything big. I don't think she even knows that she still has it, from what she told me about her time in her wor--er, village, she was too busy to even think about the odd reactions she was having toward it... if she had any."  
  
Miyu narrowed her wrinkled eyes at the human female's slip but she let it go, later she would investigate it further. Later.  
  
Sango cringed at her obvious mistake but there was nothing she could do about it now. Miroku saw the problem and smoothly cut in, "I think that there might be a reason that, hopefully, nobody has noticed the mark. We have seen Kagome do some amazing things in our travels together and I believe that her aura might be so strong as to overpower the mark. She might even, subconsciously, be drawing attention away from it."  
  
Miyu looked thoughtful for a minute before nodding slowly, "Hai, while human/youkai pairings are rare and no known hanyou/miko one's... she is certainly powerful enough to do a simple look-away spell, even if she doesn't know that she is doing it." She muttered thoughtfully.  
  
Not one to study any type of magic's except the youkai kind Sango was confused and spoke her doubts, "Don't you mean a concealment spell?" Miyu puffed up proudly, she was in her element, and immediately lunged into an explanation.  
  
"No, a concealment spell is more advanced. It actually hides or cloaks the object so that even if you are looking for it specifically or staring directly at it, you will see something else or nothing at all. A look-away spell is easier because all it does is make you skip over the object or "look-away". It's especially useful if you don't know that you are looking for something." She told them sagely.  
  
Miroku smiled into Sango's hair, he liked the old woman. She had a flare for life that he could relate to. But they had more important matters to discuss so by clearing his throat he gently broke up her fun.  
  
"Very well, that mystery is solved. Did you happen to find who orchestrated this whole thing while you were at the meeting?" He asked just as sagely.  
  
Sango shot a worried look into the cave her best friend was in before turning back to the old woman who was looking a bit dejected. 'Uh oh.'  
  
"Well yes... and no. Last night served to show us exactly who opposed Kouga, but those nine that challenged Kagome were just the muscle. The brains behind this whole thing would, and did, keep quiet last night. They wanted to see what she had, how good she was, her fighting style... they'll be harder to pick out. Damn it! I hate politics!!!" She finished with a low growl.  
  
:.:.:.:.: OVER WITH SESSHOMARU  
Rin mumbled something unidentifiable under her breath and The Lord was instantly awake (not that he had been asleep or anything because Sesshomaru the lord of the West NEVER slept). Before he even opened his eyes he knew that Rin was in her favorite sleeping position: On her side with one arm thrown over his chest and his hair in her fist, her other hand was curled into her chest while her hip and a leg were hooked and around his own until they were a hopeless tangle of bare legs.  
  
Well her favorite position with a pillow, except that he was definatly _not_ a pillow.  
  
She had her head buried in the crook of his neck and her thigh was in a place that was NOT helping him forget about the previous night's activities. Even in her sleep she was tempting him! (Her leg was currently rubbing against him, reflecting her restlessness).  
  
It was morning and he was male AND he found that his thumb was rubbing her side in time with her leg!  
  
He stopped as soon as he realized what he was doing and shot her an accusatory glare. 'This Sesshomaru is not all that sure that she is not doing this on purpose.' But as quickly as that thought came into his head it flew back out when he saw the innocent look on her face. She really was just sleeping.  
  
The faintest hint of annoyance flashed in his clear golden eyes as he tried to figure out a way to move her leg without using his arm, which was currently wrapped around her. He was REALLY missing his other arm just then.  
  
He shot the offending limb a death glare, which was really all he could do short of waking her up, so he settled down to wait until she awoke and he could move again. Looking to all the world as if he really wasent going through torture and had planned all along on taking a nap.  
  
:.:.:.:.: IN THE CLEARING  
Electricity crackled playfully through the clearing until the woman had had enough. "Oh, for---let it out already!" She told the man in an exasperated voice.  
  
The god who's eyes resembled a miniature thunderstorm looked up at her from across the bowl and you could see that his eyes were so overrun by tiny electrical jolts that they would occasionally jump out of his eyes with an audible snap and crackle.  
  
Suddenly he doubled in on himself and his body gave the faintest of tremors. The woman simply rolled her eyes and waited for him to finish.  
  
When he couldn't hold it in any longer his laughter thundered through the clearing. He laughed and laughed until tears streamed from his deep cerulean eyes and the air gradually uncharged and he _still_ continued to laugh.  
  
The woman tried her best to fight the smile that threatened to break loose and when that didn't work she tried to hide it.  
  
Finally he stopped and a pregnant silence hung over the two until the woman cracked. "Oh alright! It _was_ pretty funny." She admitted reluctantly. A smug smile graced the mans lips.  
  
"That little human is going to be good for him! Huh, even I didn't think she had it in her to work him up like that!" he stated jovially.  
  
Now it was the womans turn to smile smugly. "Ah well..." was all that she said before they turned, once more, toward the bowl and the events it was showing them...  
  
:.:.:.:.: BACK TO KAGOME  
Slowly Kagome dragged herself up from the suffocating darkness, only to burst into a strange place where the colors were too intense and the smells were beautiful but intoxicating. It left her feeling disorientated and it was a while before she realized that it wasent entirely due to the fact that she felt overpowered by the sheer intensity of the place.  
  
She was in fact dancing through the honeyed air. Kagome felt and saw herself flutter over a field full of grass so green as to be called emerald and full of gem colored flowers, she felt the wind turn her and she was faced with a blazing aquamarine sky and a _golden_ sun. Once again the wind turned her around and blew her by the _bronze_ bark of a sakura tree in full bloom...  
  
And thats when it hit her. 'I know this place!'  
  
As she continued to glide on the perfumed air Kagome tried to remember even as she was joined by countless other sakura blossoms. And almost in perfect coordination she remembered... at the exact same time that the breeze changed.  
  
'What is this place? Whats happening?'  
  
This time the life seemed to fade even quicker and the strange congregation of voices that was once voice spoke. LIMBO. It whispered as the crystalline sky was slowly swallowed by thick, cloying black clouds and a terrible reek flooded the area. It seemed that everything it touched slowly withered and died... if a smell could touch that is.  
  
HELP US! TIME IS RUNNING OUT! _PLEASE!!!!_ It voiced in a panic so think and tangible that a lump formed in her throat.  
  
And just as the fumes stretched out an invisible limb to the blossom she had piggy-backed on she caught the faintest whiff of... life and she was jerked out of the dream.  
  
Kagome sat up with a start, she immediately dragged in a painful breath through a pair of lungs that didn't seem to be working correctly so that it sounded like she was having an asthma attack.  
  
She clutched her hand to her frantically beating heart and tried to calm its painful tempo as she steadily blinked the sweat and tears from her eyes.  
  
Slowly her mind let go of that terrible panic and the fine trembling in her body faded along with it. But as it left, so did the details of her dream until all that was left was an almost overpowering sense of urgency and the faint scent of sakura blossoms.  
  
Suddenly Shippo, Sango, Miroku and Miyu came running into the cave. Concern covered all their faces but all Kagome could do was look at them pleadingly and whisper in a painful croak, "We have to hurry. Time is running out!" Before she lost consciousness once more.  
  
:.:.:.:.:  
Miyu and Sango stepped out of the cave and sat down heavily once more while Shippo and Miroku looked at them expectantly. "What happened? Is she going to be ok?" Shippo asked plaintively while Miroku simply waited while rubbing Sango's arm soothingly.  
  
The old woman looked across at the monk and gave a wry smile. "Well houshi, it seems as if you were correct. I took a look at her and she does have a look-away spell on the mark." She told him, but Miroku was having none of it and didn't even blink. He just continued to stare at her until she caved.  
  
With a defeated slump of her shoulders Miyu explained. "I don't know what happened to her in there. It might have been a mere dream of some kind that caused her to react like that but I have a feeling that, with her, dreams aren't to be taken lightly." The old woman glanced down at the worried kitsune and settled him into her lap.  
  
Shippo cuddled there but continued to gaze worriedly into the cave. "She will be fine, I know that much. It is to be expected that she is so exhausted. From what you told me she didn't know how to do what she did in the forest let alone the spectacle with the pack."  
  
Here she frowned a bit before continuing, "It seems to me that she cant control her powers. This isn't the first, even second time that her need has pulled them out. That may be the key to unlocking her full potential. We will see. For now we'll wait until she wakes."  
  
The adults nodded their agreement before they wandered off to do their own things while Shippo stayed with Miyu.  
  
:.:.:.:.:  
Sango and Miroku were walking through the little valley in the mountain enjoying the scenery, or Miroku was. Very smoothly he slipped his hand into Sango's while she was deep in thought. And was congratulating himself when she spoke, "Do you think that Inuyasha betrayed Kagome like that? I mean, that was some mark and despite how he gets every time Kikyo comes around I don't think that he would purposely hurt Kagome like that." She whispered.  
  
Miroku sighed before slipping his hand out of her warm one and draping his arm around her shoulders, "Iie. I don't think that was his intention, In fact, I'm worried that he hasn't come looking for her by now. Something HAD to have happened..." He told her firmly.  
  
Sango nodded. "You know I don't know whether to hope that he isn't hurt so that I can beat him for hurting her Kagome like that or wishing that he _is_ hurt so that he has an excuse for worrying us like this!" She added almost absently.  
  
Miroku sweat dropped before stopping and turning her so that she was facing him. "I'm sure that things will work out, the gods are not so cruel that they would deny them this after all that they have gone through." He whispered as he gently rested his forehead against her own.  
  
Sango practically melted under his gaze, 'Damn those eyes of his!' Miroku smiled smugly as she blushed a fierce red and pulled her flush against him while leaning down to kiss her.  
  
Her worries disappeared as soon as their lips met, the tingle that started on contact spread and seemed to chase away everything else until all that she felt was the warm feeling she got whenever they were alone.  
  
With an almost unnoticed sigh they parted and just looked at each other. Miroku felt slightly drunk on her but was pleased that he had driven all thoughts of maiming out of his Sango's head. And the dazed look in her fushia eyes didn't hurt his ego any.  
  
Finally they looked away and continued their walk, this time Sango was snuggled into his side with her arm wrapped around his waist.  
  
:.:.:.:.: IN THE FUTURE  
Souta was playing some video games in the mall arcade when he heard a stray piece of conversation that made him forget all about the Secret Bonus Round. "... been calling all day! Since yesterday I've been trying to get a hold of Kagome and no luck. Something about the line being disconnected."  
  
'Uh oh. Inuyasha!' Souta peeked around the machine toward the entrance and saw that his sisters old school friends were walking right past him. 'Crap!' Worried about how much they knew and more than a little curious about the phone phenomenon he decided to follow them.  
  
"...about a strange conversation with some guy?" the one with the headband asked who he knew to be Yuka. "Oh yeah, well I called the day before and this guy answers. He was really weird, he said something about demon and what-not. Then he starts shouting at me! I don't know, I guess I got the wrong number because when I tried again it was unavailable."  
  
Souta was snickering around the corner and decided to try out his mobile later to see what was up with the phone.  
  
"...then I bumped into Hojo early today, he said some guy named Inuyasha assaulted him and threw him out the door! Can you believe that?! Actually threw him out of the house! Thank Kami that he wasn't hurt. Although I think that he must have hit his head or something because Hojo said that he landed in a tree... that was by the shrine steps!"...  
  
Souta walked away laughing.  
  
:.:.:.:.:  
When he got home he told his mother about what he had overheard, "I should have told you to pick up a new phone but since you had the mobile and our was unavailable..." Confused Souta just looked at her, "Well I found this stuffed under Kagome's bed just after you left..."  
  
With that said Mrs. Higurashii opened a drawer and brought out their phone, their now completely gutted phone.  
  
:.:.:.:.: FEUDAL JAPAN  
The next morning Kagome was up and well, around breakfast she had a hyper Shippo crawling all over her in his relief and was filled in by her friends about all that she had missed. Toward the end when they were carrying on their own individual conversations Kagome suddenly stood.  
  
Startled, Miyu looked up at her human friend as Shippo clutched onto her neck to keep from falling. "Hakkaku's back and I think that he's got Ayame with him." She explained, by then the others had stopped to look at her so everybody heard her.  
  
Miyu pushed aside how the girl knew and focused on the problem at hand. "Kagome, Ayame must not be seen! She will be a great asset to our plans but Kouga and the others cant find out!"  
  
Confused as to the why Miyu would want Ayame to hide from the pack Kagome never-the-less took the told woman for her word and searched for where the two were in comparison to the pack. She quickly found them and simply waited until they came upon a good hiding place, hoping that they wouldn't be seen.  
  
Once the two youkai ran across a hidden nook at the base of the mountain Kagome pushed them in and kept them there with one of her shields. She quickly relayed what she had done to the others and they all headed out to greet the two.  
  
:.:.:.:.:  
They got lucky and weren't seen, but when they arrived it seemed that while they could all hear the two's confused voices only Kagome could see them...  
  
:.:.:.:.: OVER IN KAEDE'S VILLAGE  
Kaede stood at the edge of the village staring into Inuyasha Forest, 'He has not come out in three days. Perhaps he is taking it harder than I thought...' She mused as her concern for the boy grew with each passing day that he didn't come storming into the village demanding where Kagome had gone.  
  
Beside her stood three children and a little girl with a raggedy stuffed bear and they were not happy either, in order for their plan to work they had to actually talk to him! the childrens faces were like thunder clouds as they fumed at the hanyou for not following the plan.  
  
They all continued to stare into the foliage until they were once again reminded of their duties in the village by various hailing's.  
  
:.:.:.:.:  
By the fifth day they were all more worried about Inuyasha than whether their plan would work or not.  
  
:.:.:.:.: WITH SESSHOMARU AND RIN  
Jaken's already lumpy head was sporting some fresh bumps, courtesy of Sesshomaru for letting Rin get into trouble. He was currently sulking on Ah and Un's hide as they all flew over the lands while Rin was happily chattering away with the two-headed dragon. She would occasionally stop and run a hand down the side of her new kimono just to marvel at its luxuriance.  
  
It was made of the silkiest material she had ever seen, it didn't occur to her that it was actual silk. Even the plain sunset orange inner- kimono was just as fine and felt like water as it glided over her skin.  
  
But it was the extravagant deep bronze of the outer Kimono with gold and scarlet cranes that made the outfit glow. It fit her like a glove and even the emerald obi had a detailed pattern in fine stitching that contrasted beautifully with the kimono.  
  
She had been ecstatic when her lord had handed it to her a few days ago and after a look at its beauty she had fallen over herself to try it on. When she'd walked out from behind the tree in the thing the inuyoukai had actually been speechless, true he never talked much but right then he couldn't have said a word even if he had wanted to... not that you could tell by looking at him.  
  
But Rin saw the appreciative glint in his eyes and, already over joyed with her gift, had promptly jumped him and enveloped him into a fierce hug thanking him over and over again.  
  
Right then she was happily kicking her bare feet in the air as their little group continued on their way. She didn't exactly know where they were going or why they had even left the castle in the first place but she was with _him_ so it didn't really matter.  
  
Sesshomaru glanced over at his human and despite the thread of doubt and pain he felt for his decision his mind was made up. The very fact that he was appreciating just how well that kimono fit her, even now, was more than enough to confirm his choice in the matter. Never mind the fact that she never wore any shoes or her hair was a mess and her tie had fallen, once again, leaving her hair free to dance in the wind and that she was more than a little unorthodox...  
  
With one of his rare, slow blinks Sesshomaru turned away and finally admitted to himself, after so long denying it: Rin was no longer a child.  
  
:.:.:.:.: WITH KAGOME  
The young Miko threw herself onto her bedroll and snuggled into the softness of it. Her body was incredibly sore, places she didn't even know could be sore were, all thanks to the training that she was getting from her friends. Some friends! Sango and Miroku's daily exercises would have been enough but Ayame was killing her! Miyu's lessons didn't help either since she was physically exhausted and her lessons only helped to wear her out mentally as well. And to top it all off, today she had another killer headache, courtesy of Ayame and Kouga.  
  
[FLASHBACK]  
A worn out Kagome walked into the hot spring on legs that were shaking so badly that they could barley hold her. With a sigh she sunk deeper into the water until only her nose and eyes peeked out of the water, 'Kami I'm exhausted! It even hurts to wash!'  
  
With arms that visibly trembled Kagome barley managed to use the Shampoo and soap bottles to bathe.  
  
When she was done she felt worse than before and was cursing the fact that the 'springs were so far from the womans caves. 'A few more minutes couldn't hurt. Just enough for my strength to return...' Before she knew it she was fast asleep.  
  
She was woken by a persistent tickling sensation on the side of her neck, she groggily tried to bat it away but when a masculine chuckle reached her ears she was instantly awake. Her eyes sprang open and she was nose to nose with none other than Kouga! Naked Kouga who had joined her in the hot spring to be precise!  
  
"_**AAAYYYIIIIAAAA!!!!!!!**!_" She tried to scramble away but he had both arms braced on either side of her waist, effectively stopping her from going anywhere. "Ah Kagome, no need to be shy! You know you- - -" Kagome cut him off by smacking him hard enough to propel him a few feet from her. The contact ran throughout the clearing for a while.

"You, you, you hentai! What do you think your doing?!" he only sent her a wicked look before lunging at her. Kagome quickly dove under the water and swam under and away from him ( keeping her eyes firmly shut so that she didn't get an eye full of Kouga Jr).  
  
She had learned that not many people or youkai in feudal japan could swim very well and sure enough when she surfaced, as quietly as she could, Kouga was looking around for her grinning wildly. "So you want to play! I knew that you would like my surprise!"  
  
She quickly tuned him out and with a speed that any youkai would have been amazed at, she jerked her clothes on. However no sooner had she pulled on her shoes that Kouga appeared, she would forever thank Kami that he stood behind a rock and she was spared from seeing all there was to see of the wolf youkai.  
  
"Aaaaaahhhhh!!!" Kagome shrieked but was cut off as he moved with his shard-induced speed and trapped her in a bear hug and tried to kiss her with a "Found you!" as his only warning. With strength she didn't know she has after such a grueling day Kagome pushed him off her and pinned him to the ground with one of her shields. While looking pointedly away of course.  
  
"Ahh, getting into now woman!........Kagome?"  
  
but Kagome had fled as soon as she had felt her shield take hold. 'Never again! I am never taking a bath in this mountain by myself!' Such were her thoughts as she was running through the valley when she heard someone crying and despite herself she changed course and walked toward it...

[END FLASHBACK]  
  
As it turned out Ayame, who was hidden in one of her shields from unwanted eyes, had heard everything and was crying her heart out. So after she had gotten away from Kouga she'd had to deal with a very hurt Ayame. The whole think took about three hours. _Three_ hours!  
  
With a groan Kagome turned over, silently cursed whoever thought that learning to fight and improve her Miko skills was a good idea (conveniently forgetting that she was the culprit) and was instantly asleep.  
  
:.:.:.:.: WITH KIBA AND KOHARU  
It was late afternoon, the sun had yet to even think about sinking into the horizon when they reached the top of the hill and the village came into view.  
  
Their grins seemed to melt off Koharu and Kiba's faces and the easy-going humor evaporated into the air leaving a palpable silence.  
  
Kiba found that he couldn't bring himself to look at his companion, his friend. It was strange, he was so used to being alone, from what he remembered, and now he found that he was sorry that she would be leaving him. He enjoyed her company, she made him smile and he admired her determination to not only learn all she could but to keep practicing until it was perfect.  
  
Koharu couldn't bring herself to even look at the boy, 'I will NOT beg! The deal was until we reached the next village...' And now they had.  
  
With equally somber looks and suddenly heavy feet they both made their way down the hill and toward civilization.  
  
:.:.:.:.:  
As soon as they entered the village curious glances were sent their way. They were walking by a small hut with a large, discarded shield resting against its side when Koharu caught their reflections on its surface. She winced at the sight: She had long since lost her hair tie during one of her rare hunting trips so her thick locks hung loosely down her back to her waist, although she had improvised and tied it into a thick knot so that it stayed out of her face. She had also discarded the pastel blue apron she wore over her kimono because she had leaned to close to the fire one night and it had been burnt beyond salvaging. To top it all off she had hitched up the hem to her kimono in anticipation of their evening sparring lessons so that her her legs were bare to the knees.  
  
She quickly fixed her kimono and prayed that she hadn't already ruined things. Kiba noticed and shot her an amused glance before he swung his arm around her shoulders, "Don't worry! It'll be fine." He whispered as he gently squeezed her shoulders reassuringly.  
  
Despite her misgivings Koharu found herself taking his words to heart. By the time they reached the village center, where all the goods were, the two were back to normal. Kiba told her that he was going to find a place for them to stay in and left her to dawdle.  
  
Koharu was enjoying herself when she ran into a very nice village girl and her younger brother, they quickly became friends... something Koharu didn't take for granted after her being despised as long as she could remember in her village.  
  
It wasent until the first red-orange rays, signaling the setting sun, spread through the sky that she ran into trouble.  
  
She had been wandering around, after Sooki and her brother had run home, when she passed a little niche in between huts and somebody grabbed her and carried her further into the shadows. She struggled the entire way there but stopped when she heard the distinct, heavy footsteps of several others.  
  
"Our lord is pleased that you have returned Koharu." The man holding her stated, though not too eagerly. Fear ripped through her as memories came flooding into her skull. 'No! Not again!'  
  
However anger soon replaced the fear and she suddenly lashed out with a vengeance. She bit down savagely on the hand covering her mouth, hard enough to draw blood, the man holding her let her go with a yelp, nursing his injury but the others quickly surrounded her and she knew that she wasent getting out of there without a fight.  
  
:.:.:.:.:  
"Koharu! Koharu are you ok?!" Kiba's worried face swam in and out of focus as she groggily forced her eyes open. "Uuuhhhhhggg what happened?" she moaned. Relief ran through him as he helped her sit up, "When I got back you were gone so I started to look for you. I was passing by this niche when I heard a fight and went to check it out... you know you did pretty good. Knocked out what, six men, by yourself." He told her proudly.  
  
The girl was holding her throbbing head, "I guess it was the seventh guy that got me?" she asked with a wry smile. Her friend nodded grimly, "Yeah, but don't worry I took care of him." An odd look in his eyes told her not to ask.  
  
The boy peered worriedly at Koharu from his crouching position at her side. "Can you stand?" The girl frowned and shrugged, "Wont know until I try." Kiba hid his smile before helping her up. "Come on, were sleeping outside the village. I don't like the look of those men. They were too well dressed to be regular thugs..."  
  
:.:.:.:.:  
One they had set up camp Kiba got to work nursing the gash at the back of Koharu's head where the guy had hit her with the blunt end of his weapon, "They were the lords men." She stated, suddenly and quietly.  
  
Confused the boy just stared at the back of her head from him perch on the log, reluctantly Koharu turned and dragged her troubled gaze to his honeyed one. "The men that tried to kidnap me." She whispered, "They were the lords men."  
  
"How do you know this?" Kiba asked softly, afraid of the answer. "One of the men told me..." Kiba felt his heart slowly settle back into its regular position from its position in his throat.  
  
But I knew him when I was a child..." and the whole sordid tale spilled out of her like word vomit, including the part about who had saved her and his odd friends [A/N: its basically the episodes with Koharu as the guest character- Kanna of the void? I don't know I forget the titles]. When she was done neither one of them spoke for a while. Koharu because she was deep in thought about a past even she had forgotten about and Kiba because her tale had stirred his own memories.  
  
Finally he spoke, "It seems that we both have secret pasts." Silence returned, unsure about how she would take his offer Kiba absentmindedly started combing out her hair with his fingers. He licked his suddenly dry lips before continuing, "You know I haven't gotten in this much trouble in a long time, that I can remember of course. I think you attract it... and you also seem to have some link to my past. So heres what I think: why don't we just travel together until... until something better comes along?" He asked nervously.  
  
Koharu continue to stare into the play with the fine dirt on the ground while staring into the flames for a while, eventually a shy smile graced her lips and she turned to look at him once more. "Alright." She whispered and he returned to her head wound...  
  
............................................................................ ...........................................................  
  
Ok so I decided to do the Inuyasha part in the next chapter cuz this one ran long and it would just work better. So I'm off to do that! n.n


	21. SALVATION

A/N: Im planning on changing the title to this fic so look out for that.

Disclaimer: Uuuhhhhh the good news is that theres no disclaimer. Bad news is that the teletubbies called in reinforcements from a certain purple dinosaur and his minions [shudder]... the lawyers are loosing, something about not being able to hit the purple monstrosity X.x!

........................................................................................................................................

SALVATION

A lone, dark figure was curled into a tight ball on a particularly gnarled tree branch in the middle of Inuyasha Forest. The faint, green light that managed to filter in through the dense foliage highlighted a flash of white and red before the leaves shifted again with the faint summer breeze and the figure was thrown into the shadows again.

Long silver hair flashed as the wind picked up and lost, heavy-lidded, golden eyes were revealed as the thick canopy shifted again. But they had lost their luster, their usual gleam and now resembled nothing more than dull marbles. Sightless as he battled an inner battle that by the looks of things... he was loosing.

Inuyasha had been like that for quiet a while, ever since Kaede had told him about ... about his friends leaving him Inuyasha fled into the forest and ran like someone possessed. He had alternated between running and weaving through the thickening greenery on the ground and leaping through the trees.

His mind had been so absorbed in getting away from it all that he had lost track of where he was going and he had ended up in that particular tree by sheer coincidence. See, as he was leaping through a much higher tree he had slipped and fallen until the branch he was currently on had stopped him. His body protested loudly to the harsh treatment but he was way beyond hearing distance and could have cared less even if he _had_ registered the pain.

He barely noticed the weather and time was like a foreign concept to him as his thoughts rolled over him.

His hair was matted and oily since he hadn't bathed in days and the animals stayed away from his immediate area because the scent that fell off of him was not only unpleasant but disturbing.

Everything was a blur to him, occasionally a memory would flash in his mind and he would sucked under.

'All alone. Again. Just like before.'

Green and black swam in front of him as a memory from his past swallowed him up...

:.:.:.:.: IN ANOTHER PART OF JAPAN

A white blur accompanied by a childish giggle ran through the soldiers legs followed by a playful growl. All of the men smiled indulgently as they felt the child expertly weave through the jumble of limbs.

It was a daily occurrence that they all enjoyed since it was evidence of how much had changed since the girl had arrived at their doorstep, literally...

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A young soldier was walking back from a trip to his mothers in the village, he was just rounding the corner of the last house and looking at the gates that led into his lords palace when a brilliant flash on the ground caught his attention and he stopped cold.

There, hidden by the bushes surrounding the wooden gates, was a small bundle of white, a familiar looking bundle that the man had seen after vicious battles. A bundle that he seriously hoped hadn't suffered the same fate as the others.

Shaking off the horrible feeling of trepidation the soldier stiffly approached the bundle and with shaking hands turned it over. A breath he didn't know he had been holding escaped in a rush as he saw that the child was not only warm but breathing.

Unable to leave her the man clumsily picked her up and took her to the kitchens where he was sure one of the maids would know what to do with a her.

His hunch was dead-on. As soon as the women saw the frail girl-child in his awkward hold and the clueless look on his face they had all rushed him effectively burying him a mass of limbs, cooing, and amused looks. After the horrible feeling of suffocation they all scattered, leaving him to fall to the floor in relief. It was only then that he noticed that the child was no longer in his care.

:.:.:.:.:

All the women gushed over the child and tutted at her obvious frailty, they took turns watching over their charge until she woke and then pounced on her. Feeding her, giving her small trinkets and fresh clothes until she was rosy-cheeked and full of energy.

It did bother them that she couldn't seem to remember anything about her past but they were all to happy to have some happiness back in the castle that they pushed it aside.

They all needed her childish smiles and easy manner. Ever since their lord had met that taijiya, fallen in love with her, and been rejected, he hadn't been the same. Their lord was a good man, a fair man who loved and honestly cared for his people. But after that woman he hadn't been the same.

He was still fair but everything else about him had seemed to fade. He had taken to locking himself into his dark quarters and most of his meals were returned to the kitchen with most of the food still there.

They were all worried about him and the happy atmosphere in the castle had quickly turned to a somber one until all the servants tip-toed around the grounds and laughter was greatly discouraged. But the child didn't know that and her happy manner was a treasure.

:.:.:.:.:

It was during one of her usual trips around the castle that the child ran into a closed door, curious she pushed it opened and found a man that she had never met. He was sitting on the floor, looking through the bamboo curtains into the courtyard.

Despite the heavy air in the darkened room the child ran into inside and threw herself into the mans lap. Startled the lord of the castle looked down at the odd looking child in his lap that was looking quiet comfortable.

She was startlingly pale with the beginnings of a faint tan with a pair of baby-blue eyes in a impossibly light shade that reminded him of a spring sky. But it was her hair that made her so exotic, she had hair the color of wheat. Almost white, but not quiet. It was such a light shade that was a startling contrast to the the black and brown seen in their parts that it made anyone look twice. And it sparkled with a golden undertone that mesmerized the man.

:.:.:.:.:

The girl managed to burrow into the lords heart almost immediately. Her easy manner and quick way of making everyone fall in love with her had him wrapped around her little finger.

It didn't take long for the lord to start playing with her daily, their laughter resonating through the grounds and the easy manner once again returned to the castle.

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Hope ran into the grounds orchard, weaving in and out of the different trees as she giggled every few steps. Finally she found a thick apple tree and dove behind the trunk. She sagged against the rough bark as she tried to catch her breath, soon a deep voice reached her ears. "Now where did she go? I could have sworn the little sprite ran in here!"

The child put a hand over her mouth to stop the giggle from escaping and giving away her position. "Awww! No fair, now I can't find you!" The voice called out playfully.

Despite herself she let out a loud giggle and not two seconds later a tall figure scooped her up with a playful growl. She let out a loud shriek followed by a carefree laugh that only children can give as the man tickled her mercilessly.

The two fell to the soft ground as she continued to roll around helplessly. The lord feigned surrender as she attacked him in turn.

Later as he was tucking her in the lord thanked Kami, like he did every night, for the wonderful gift she had given him. She had given him his Hope back in the form of the odd looking child and he never forgot it or to thank her for the blessing. Hope never failed to cheer him up or to pull him away from his duties when they began to wear on him. She was his world and he gladly let himself surrender to her every whim...

:.:.:.:.: WITH KAGOME

"Come on! Concentrate!" Ayame shouted at her as Kagome missed yet another perfectly good strike. Sweat ran down her body and dripped off her nose as she continued to spar with the red-head. With a scary look in her blue eyes Kagome used one of her movable iridescent shields to encase her body and practically flew at the girl. Ayame just missed the blow to her jaw that the young miko had aimed for. Everybody froze.

Just as suddenly as the headache came it was gone and Kagome turned wide eyes toward her friends and mentors...

:.:.:.:.:

A breathy "Inuyasha" escaped Kagome's lips as she tossed and turned restlessly. The others looked at their friend worriedly as they debated whether to tell her or not.

Sango turned anxious fushia eyes to Miyu's hazel ones. The old youkai sighed heavily, she didn't know what to do. The young girls powers were exciting to work with but they were like nothing she had ever encountered.

Yes the girl had miko powers but she behaved like no miko she had ever run across. Hell the woman had seen Kikyo in action long ago and this girl, however much she resembled the other, was nothing like the living dead priestess.

Miyu thought back to another miko, one who existed so long ago that even she did not remember clearly. Midoriko. That woman was a wonder, she remembered that much, in fact all three girls were. But when she thought about it Miyu realized that while Midoriko and Kikyo's powers were definitely Miko powers. Kagome's were not.

To make things worse the girl had been marked, well the attempt had been made, and the bond that was formed was stronger than any she had ever heard of. Even between two full youkai's.

She felt that something bigger than all of them was happening but for the life of her she couldn't figure out what it was. Unable to do more than try and prepare her young friend as best she could Miyu continued to watch Kagome's fitful sleep.

Sango visibly wilted from her seat in Miroku's lap as she interpreted the youkai's gaze correctly. Miroku squeezed her briefly, trying to reassure her however he too was worried. This was the fourth night in a row that their friend whispered Inuyasha's name in her sleep, he couldn't help but think that it was all building up to something and so he waited.

:.:.:.:.:

'Aaggghhh!!!! This damn headache wont go away! Its been more than a week for crying out loud!' Kagome stubbornly pushed aside the faint pulsing in order to concentrate on her fight with Ayame.

Ayame saw her the struggle in friends eyes but she didn't worry until she saw the hard glint in their now navy depths, as if on cue Kagome suddenly moved faster than ever before until she too disappeared and reappeared in another spot like a youkai. Poor Ayame was too stunned to do much more than stare and before she knew it Kagome delivered a roundhouse kick to her jaw that had her flying.

Then just a quickly the fight went out of her and she stumbled into sight, her now cerulean eyes looked around confusedly. The others rushed to help the girls up while all thinking the same thing: _Its going to happen soon._

:.:.:.:.:

It wasn't until the girls were taking a private dip in the hot springs that the mystery of who set Kagome up was uncovered. And it was all thanks to Ayame...

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All three were relaxing after a grueling day, Sango and Ayame trying to ease Kagome's worry about her powers, when the subject took a sudden twist.

"You know Kujoni seems to to be acting a bit odd lately, she keeps popping up everywhere..." Sango mentioned. Miyu gave a wryly amused snort from her spot on a rock where she was lazily braiding Ayame's hair, "Ha! That Yoshii is one piece of work!"

Suddenly Ayame froze under her hands while the two humans looked at Miyu curiously, "I thought her name was Kujoni." Kagome stated while Sango nodded her part.

"It it now. She started calling herself that a few decades ago, but the name she was given at birth was Yoshii. Perfectly serviceable name if you ask me!" The old youkai stated.

Ayame suddenly turned around and looked at her the old woman, "Are you sure that her name is Yoshii?" She whispered harshly, at Miyu's nod her flushed face visibly paled.

"Whats wrong child?" Miyu asked worriedly, by then the other two girls had made their way toward Ayame. The red head took a shaky breath before telling them what she knew.

"Yoshii is... very ambitious." Here she nervously licked suddenly dry lips, "Yoshii and I used to be best friends when we were pups... you know how much I love Kouga? Well thats nothing compared to what she felt toward him back then and I wager that her feelings haven't changed over the years... if anything they have gotten more intense." The words tumbled out in a harsh whisper while the others just stared at their friend.

Miyu frowned at this but didn't interrupt, "You see, she had this intense love for Kouga. She was convinced that they were meant to be together. It wasent until the day that Kouga helped me out and made his promise to me that I saw how deep her... love... ran."

Kagome and Sango looked at each other worriedly as Ayame's words tumbled out, "She. Even as a child, she was strong and resourceful. It wasent until we were a little older that her powers emerged. It was about a decade before the incident with me and Kouga. You see she can sense power. Be it miko or otherwise."

Miyu frowned at this bit of information, 'I never knew this...'

"But its only powerful "Magic" that she can sense... and break. Powerful spells are like rice paper to her: easy to shred. However, she can't sense simple spells. Those she cant touch..."

Finally Miyu had had enough, "How is it that I didn't know about this?" She demanded. Ayame cocked her head to the side as she thought about it, "You weren't here... I'd forgotten about that. I _think_ that you were still traveling during that time, I don't really remember since I was so young then."

An uneasy feeling settled inside her, finally Miyu asked what they were all thinking "What happened between you two?" Ayame sighed heavily before answering, "As I was making my way back that night I accidentally saw her in the forest... she had a statue of Kouga. It was... disturbing. The way that she snuggled up to it and her words (here she shuddered violently) It wasent simply her words but the way she said them that still sends chills down my spine... I instinctively hid in the shadows. It wasent until I saw the gleam in her eyes that I ran."

The group was silent as Ayame's words sunk in, they all jumped when she resumed the story. "Her eye's they shone with a demented light. Even the lines of her face had changed... Before I ran I saw her lean in to kiss it. But it was her eyes that made the action seem so obscene."

It was around then that Kagome felt a faint tugging at the back of her mind, she concentrated on it and gave a soft gasp. "Its her!" Miyu quickly gathered their clothes while Kagome threw a simple shield around them. They didn't have to wait long for the girl to appear.

The harsh look on the womans face shocked them all so that they almost gave their position away. Her face was twisted into a horrible mask as she stopped at the edge of the hot spring, she sniffed around for a while but finding nothing she left with a spine tingling snarl.

It was quiet a while before anybody was able to move again. The insane look on her face had them all shivering despite the heat of the water. As if by silent agreement they quickly climbed out and went to find the others...

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:.:.:.:.: BACK TO INUYASHA

_"Your a freak!" "Who would want you?" "Filthy little half breed!" "You should have been killed at birth!" "Monster_!" _"Mutt!!" "You should have died with you're whore of a mother!"_

And so on. The taunts went on an on. Endless in their brutality. They ran through his head in an endless stream until they eventually brought the images to light, images that he had fought to bury.

As the painful memories came to the surface Inuyasha automatically flattened his ears to his skull and tried to make himself as small a possible. Hoping to make them go away, just like when he was a child.

He should have know better, they always found him. No matter how small he tried to make himself...

:.:.:.:.: BACK TO KAGOME

All day long she'd had that awful headache resulting in her friends getting their asses kicked. (They weren't feeling too sympathetic to her right then, even as they watched over her) and had fallen asleep the second her head had hit the pillow.

Kagome was currently tossing in her bed roll once again but this time it was different. A slight flush covered her cheeks and her head felt hot and fuzzy not to mention that she kept getting flashes that reminded her of a strobe light.

After a while her clothes were soaked in sweat and she was crying out his name again. Her friends crowded around her, anxious as they felt the fever radiating off of her. Suddenly the throbbing in her head reached a painful pitch and the lights dancing around behind her eyes became clear...

:.:.:.:.:

Inuyasha was huddled in his fathers fire rat haori that was more like a big red blanket to him. Ash was everywhere, it overpowered his sensitive nose causing him to sneeze uncontrollably while his eyes burned from the ash that had embedded itself in them as he had clawed out of the rubble.

"Mama? Mama where are you? Mama!!?" He called out plaintively, each passing minute caused his desperation to grown exponentially until he was bawling for his missing mother. His chubby, baby face was screwed up with all his crying, his nose was red and runny, and his now soot-covered face had sticky tear stains all over it.

He clawed through all the rubble until his puppy claws were splintered or broken off completely. He searched until he saw the once polished wooden floor of his home. But his mother was nowhere in sight, not even a charred bone was left. _'Mother don't leave me!'_

A howl echoed through the night, a pitch so high that it hurt to listen to. He went to sleep with a sore throat and throbbing fingertips, curled up in the place where he was sure that his mother had been.

He stayed there for days, waiting for his mother to come back. It was his stomach cramping so badly from hunger that made him pick himself up and make his way to the village.

Sniffling, Inuyasha shuffled his way to his grandfathers door and knocked politely but after a couple of minutes of this with nobody answering he gave up and tried his uncles place.

He didn't even realize how long he had been knocking when the door was suddenly flung open, he made to fling himself onto his uncle needing to be comforted badly but was stopped short.

"How dare you! How dare you come by my doorstep you filthy little hanyou! Go away before I chase you out of here myself!" The man hissed.

Scared Inuyasha just stared at his mothers brother with big golden eyes until the older man grabbed one of his sensitive ears and gave it a painful twist to emphasize his point. "I said get out!"

He was crying again, but now his ear was on fire and he was scared of the man he had always thought of as family. His uncle twisted his ear harder before pushing him away with a flick of his wrist making him trip on the small steps. He ended up on his butt in the dirt.

He scrambled away from his uncles long limbs, scared of being hit again, but the man simply turned and slammed the door in his face. The sound made him jump. It was a while before he brought a chubby fist that was covered in drying blood to his stinging eyes.

'Why did uncle twist my ear? Did I do something wrong? I don't understand, whats a hanyou?'

His abused ear was quivering faintly and an angry pink tinge covered it. The chibi Inuyasha rubbed it once more before the pain from his stomach distracted him from the closed door and he forced himself to his feet...

:.:.:.:.: A FEW MONTHS LATER

A very grubby Inuyasha was running out of a village with pebbles streaming after him. Occasionally one would make contact and a stinging pain would follow but he ignored it and he kept running, careful of the precious bundle in his arms.

Several villagers yelled obscene things after him but he ignored them and carried on, yelping when a particularly large pebble nicked his ear. He was sure that it would bruise later on.

His short, baby legs worked double time as he hurried toward his hiding spot, then he would be ale to eat. His stomach was always in pain but now that it knew that it would soon be fed it had escalated to an unbearable level.

He barley outran the men that were chasing him out of the village, yes he was fast for a child but the men had longer strides so they were almost evenly matched. But the promise of food in his belly spurred him on and he outran the men. However their words cut deeper than the abrasions the pebbles left behind ever could.

:.:.:.:.: ANOTHER COUPLE OF MONTHS

He lay on the forest ground, asleep and horribly sore after his attempt to nick some food from the village earlier that day. He wouldn't have gone anywhere near the place except that he still wasent very good at hunting and he was _really_ hungry.

His bloody, baby hands held a small rock and several more lay in a neat pile nearby. He had learned early to sleep with some kind of weapon after some of the village men had caught him while he was sleeping one night and given him a painful beating. They had left him for dead and he had learned.

So now whenever they would decide to spring a surprise raid he was ready and would be able to get away.

The beating had hurt but the worst part was the fact that it had been his uncle who was responsible for almost fracturing his arm and ribs. And what he had said to him. About him and his mother! His own sister! The memory still made him cry at night. _I still have a small scar on the outside of my eye from that beating. I thought I was going to loose that eye after it didn't heal immediately._

:.:.:.:.: ABOUT A YEAR AFTER

He was bathing for the first time in a while, since he had to time things so that he wouldn't run into anyone, when he heard her. A little girl was approaching the river. He quickly jumped out and pulled on his clothes but as he did so he caught her scent. There was something odd about this girl, something about her scent. So he waited until she came unto view after checking to make sure that there was nobody else nearby.

When she stepped into view he was startled to find that she asked him to come out of his hiding place. 'How did she know I was here?' Curious he peeked around the boulder and found himself face to face with his first demon. Of course he didn't know it at the time.

He began to figure it out when they were playing a game: "Kill the hanyou" 'Hey she knows what a hanyou is! Mother never told me what it was...' "Umm whats a hanyou?" He asked her timidly. The child had been surprised that he didn't already know but told him nonetheless.

"Their nasty li'll pests who don't have 'nough sense to crawl inta a whole an' die. I mean they have a human fo' a parent! How disgustin'! They should all be 'sterminated!" She recited as if reading it from a scroll.

"But why would you want to kill hayou's like me? My mama always smelled nice." He had stated innocently.

And thats when things turned ugly.

He had walked away with several bruises, cuts and scrapes on his person. But he had been able to hold his own. Sure she was naturally stronger than he was since she was a full youkai but he'd been on his own for over a year so he was a little stronger and faster than her through sheer practice.

It was that day that he decided to move away from his home. He'd had enough. And slowly after that day he had turned bitter toward the humans and youkai's. Opting to simply watch and learn...

:.:.:.:.:

"_Your a freak!" "_

_Who would want you?" _

"_Filthy little half breed!" _

"_You should have been killed at birth!" _

"_Monster_!"

"_Mutt!!" _

"_You should have died with you're whore of a mother!"_

:.:.:.:.:

Suddenly Kagome shot up, wide eyed. Tears streamed from her eyes and the hickey on her neck was throbbing. Crying from the intensity of what she had seen, no, relived.

She turned golden eyes to her startled friends before gulping back a sob, "I know where Inuyasha is! Oh god!! Inuyasha!" And she she dissolved into tears...

:.:.:.:.: OVER WITH INUYASHA

The painful memories were cut short by a familiar voice. _"INUYASHA!" _

His eyes snapped open as the voice resonated inside his head and a warm sense of _something_ hovered over him for a second before settling over him like a much loved blanket.

His vision swam but he could still here HER inside his head. _"We didn't leave you! We thought you left US. Oh god, I'm so sorry!" _He immediately realized who was talking to him and relaxed but after a second he bristled at the pity he heard in her voice. However not a second later a scalding wave crashed over him and she continued. _"If I EVER run across that uncle of your's he had better run! Who does he think he is!"_

He closed his now sapphire eyes as he took comfort in the warmth she was sending him and slept a peacful sleep for the first time in over a week.

:.:.:.:.: IN KOHARU'S VILLAGE

One minute he was outside gathering some firewood and the next he found himself inside the chicken coop covered in blood and feathers. He sluggishly looked around and noticed that he was standing in the middle of a bloodbath.

Bits and pieces of dead chickens were everywhere, blood was smeared on the walls, entrails and carcasses were thrown around haphazardly.

Scared they child stood rooted there before his mothers angry voice reached his ears and he knew he had to get out of there. Quickly he stole out of the small shack and ran toward the bucket of water behind the house but he blacked out again.

This time he found himself in the soldiers barracks in the middle of the storage room. Spoiled food was everywhere, the stink of urine was rank and pungent. The child was shaking uncontrollably by then and the sight of all the weapons in ruins scattered around the mess did nothing to comfort him. Especially since he had a small saw in his hands.

The tool fell from his numb hands as he heard the gruff voices in the hall. He started to hyperventilate as they drew closer but just as a shadow peeked through the sliding doors he blacked out yet again.

This time he found himself in his room, clean of the filth and in a new change of clothes. Running trembling hands down the front of his haori he ran toward his dresser, grabbed his mirror and promptly dropped it.

'Whats happening to me? My eyes!' His already strange lilac eyes had a strange shadow roiling in their depths that was clearly visible. It pulsed and shivered even as he stood there.

He didn't hear the mirror shatter but he did hear the shouting, it was coming from outside his door. His stomach was in knots but he forced himself to walk toward the noise, however much his feet felt as heavy as boulders.

Once there his bladder almost let itself loose.

Outside his home was a frightful mob, complete with makeshift weapons and bloodthirsty shouting. It wasent until he saw the mutilated bodies of his sister and her friends that he once again track of time...

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Woo! That was a deep chapter! Hope it wasnet too rushed. The next chapter chapter will _hopefully _have the conclusion of Kouga's problems among other things!


	22. CONFESSIONS

A/N: Its been a while so apologies at the end; Meanwhile heres the chapter!

Disclaimer: Gah! too drained of creativity to bother with lawyers right now. Go away!

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CONFESSIONS 

A violent wind whipped through the grassy hills to slam against the thick trees at the forests edge, again and again, until a good portion of the thick forest was nothing more than mulch and still Kagura shook with rage. Her crimson eyes glittering with her frustration.

The demoness continued to assault the helpless fauna until her attacks unearthed a small clearing.

It had his scent all over it. His and _HERS_. That worthless human girls stench was mingled with Sesshomaru's own distinctive musk.

Furious she glared at the scenic clearing as the unwanted memories rose to the surface, demanding that she acknowledge them...

FLASHBACK

Kagura didn't even bother trying to sneak up on him. He was too good for that, besides she wasn't here to play "who's the stronger demon" with him... Although if things went according to plan she would be more than willing to play whatever kind of games he wanted...

She silently stepped out from behind the small cluster of trees behind the lord and just as quietly approached him. However, once she was a few steps away from him his deceptively-soft voice stopped her in her tracks.

"What do you want Kagura"

Without even gracing her with his face Sesshomaru continued to gaze into the horizon. His straight, perfect back presented to her.

Despite herself Kagura found that she was quite eager to proceed with her plan. So with a last quiver of anticipation she smoothly ran a slender hand up and over his shoulder while stepping up to him. She fairly purred her response...

"When was the last time you had a female, Sesshomaru? Hmmm? It must have been quiet a while. A demon as strong as you would not just mate with any bitch"

She was abruptly cut off by Sesshomaru's smooth voice. "Is there a point to you making a fool of yourself Kagura"

The demoness stiffened at the impassiveness of his voice and the fact that she could detect no change of scents in him despite her attentions.

Nevertheless she plowed on. She expertly slipped around him until she was facing him, never once did her hand loose contact with his shoulder. "Come now Sesshomaru. Even you must feel the need to mate every now and then. I'm offering you a no strings-attached offer... in return all you have to do is"

Her seductive tirade was once more cut off but this time it was because she suddenly found herself talking to thin air. Sesshomaru was gone and by the sound of things she knew exactly where he had gone.

END FLASHBACK

With a dangerous flash in her crimson eyes Kagura slammed another blade of wind at the picturesque clearing that Sesshomaru and Rin had bathed in not long ago.

'That pathetic little human! She ruined it! I was so close, if only she hadn't interrupted when she had! He had still to make his decision!

Once again her eyes narrowed as the rest of that days events played around in her head. Of her following him into the forest...

FLASHBACK

She watched as that insolent human girl clung to the lord and as if that wasent enough she could have sworn that Sesshomaru responded to the hysterical Rin by hugging her to him. Encouraging the girl! However Sesshomaru was still his stoic self, his demeanor never once changed. His face still as impassive as ever, so she brushed it off to her own frustration.

However when he didn't even look her way before turning and walking away, despite the fact the she knew that he was aware of her presence she felt her fury rise.

'How dare he! How dare he walk away from me like that! Damn him and his human whore!' ...

END FLASHBACK

'He is no better than Naraku!' After another violent attack on her part on the clearing she yanked her feather out of her hair and was gone in a forceful gush of air, intent on reaching her cave. And, hopefully, to await some useful news from the demons she had sent out to search for her siblings.

:.:.:.:.: OVER WITH INUYASHA

Large and small rays of sunshine speckled down on a sleepy Inuyasha. The thick foliage of the tree he was sleeping in let in the warm, golden specks. Slowly he felt himself drifting out of the peaceful dreams he was having...

She looked so cute running around in the yard in a frilly bathing suit while playing in the sprinklers while her mother and father took turns between taking pictures and joining in the fun.

Kagome again, this time she was being carried by her father while her mother lay in the hospital bed with her new baby brother in her arms. It was a sight to see her lean over in her curiosity to poke the newborn to see if it would do anything besides sleep.

On and on the memories came filling him with a warmth that he barley remembered from when he was a child and his mother was still alive.

He bathed in the warm sensations her memories were filling him with, a watered down variation of what he felt when they were together. But welcome nonetheless.

The warmth seemed to flow down his body until he felt like he was wrapped in a warm blanket, or better yet, in her arms. The sensory memory was so strong that his arms spasmed, trying to hold onto her when she wasent even there.

The disappointment jerked him awake. And in that moment, when your on the edge of sleep, just before you wake up, he could have sworn that she was right there with him. He could see her sapphire eyes clouded over with sleep. Her hair up in a horse-tail, showing off his mark on her neck to perfection. The vision, for lack of a better term, was so real that he felt her weight on him while she cuddled up next to him.

"Inuyasha..." Her voice rang true to his ears and he knew. He knew where she was and that she was ok. He was instantly awake and in a flash of red and white he disappeared into thin air.

:.:.:.:.: KAGOME AND THE WOLVES

Kagome slowly woke up and even then she was more than a little reluctant to get up, preferring to stay and wallow in her warm bedroll. Ever since that night when she and Inuyasha shared that dream a couple of days ago she felt better, rejuvenated even. Those horrible headaches were gone and she was progressing rapidly in her training now... not that she was ever really struggling.

With a last back cracking stretch Kagome dragged herself up to get ready for the day. 'Today is it. No more hiding, no more guessing who is behind all this. By the end of the day we'll know... I just wish I didn't have to come so close to marrying Kouga!'

With a last shake Kagome walked out of Miyu's cave, where she had spent the night, toward the wonderful aroma of a cooking breakfast...

:.:.:.:.: IN THE CLEARING

"Well! That was... unexpected." The male gods deep baritone traveled gently through the air to no particular audience. The woman however was looking slightly pleased, she had felt and seen Kagome's power while she had visited her in her dream and was a bit less shocked by how deep the young Miko's and Inuyasha's bond went. However that is not to say that she was not surprised.

"You know, they might just make it through this..." She voiced. The brilliance in her emerald eyes not was not lost to the man who, despite himself, felt her optimism catch on.

Not another word was spoken as they continued to watch what was going on in the mortal world...

:.:.:.:.: BACK WITH KAGOME

Kagome was still decked out in the official pack outfit (however much she detested the thing) and was sweating out the whole "wedding ceremony" just waiting for Kujoni to attack. Ayame had said that this was when the woman would attack and the others had agreed with her, however that didn't mean that she was enjoying being leered over by a lecherous looking Kouga.

All day the damn ceremony had gone on from a official bathing by Sango and Miyu to a ceremonial dressing in the hideous outfit she was now sporting... _again_. Not to mention that between all this Kouga had been hounding her to skip the ceremony and "get down to business".

She was now at the entrance of the males cave, just by the waterfall which was mercifully cool as it sprayed her in a fine mist, and listening to Kouga recite the official terms to make her his mate. Of course the entire thing wouldn't be official until they actually... well... mated. And that was _so _NOT going to happen.

Kagome was starting to get nervous now, Kouga was nearing the end of his speech and looking at her in a decidedly hungry way that had her sweating. 'Come _on _Kujoni! Attack do _something_. ANYTHING! I do _not _want to have sex with Kouga much less in front of the entire pack!' ( Which a requirement to make her the packs official queen.)

No sooner had those words been thought out that a unyielding force came at her from behind sending her flying at the caves wall.

The entire cave rang with Kagome's impact as silence stretched out. Nobody dared to move at the sudden scene before them. What came next though was much worse.

"He's mine! Keep your filthy hands off of him" Came Kujoni's demented cry, then, without warning she was on Kagome once more. From there all hell broke loose...

:.:.:.:.: WITH KOHARU AND KIBA

It was early evening and the two had been on the road now for over a week, the two had passed by many villages but after that last encounter with those men who had tried to attack Koharu, well, they had just opted to avoid civilization.

However they were now on a small hill overlooking yet another village, this one seemingly no different than the others with the usual bustle of life as the villagers went about their daily tasks. Or at least thats what Koharu saw. Kiba on the other hand...

A shudder ran through the boys lean frame as he looked upon the village. 'Something about this place is different from the rest, I don't know this place... but something reminds me of-' here he struggled to come up with the right word but gave up when it seemed that the harder he tried to more elusive it became and settled for 'something'

Koharu shifted nervously as Kiba continued to stare at the village, however it wasent until a old priestess came out of one of the huts followed by a small stream of children that she too froze...

* * *

"Kaede-baba we have ta' go an' look for 'im! Inuyasha's been gone for a long time now" A stubborn looking little boy with messy brown hair demanded while tugging at the old womans baggy red pants. 

A little blond girl stumbling along on the other side of the old woman and nodded, her blond curls bouncing with every bob of her head. "Ureshii-koro's wight! K-Gome wold be mad if she knew 'Yasha was sick. We hafta 'elp 'im" She stated in her broken 4 and three-quarter year old tongue.

* * *

'Inuyasha! Kagome! Those are Miroku's friends that helped me all those years ago... How do these people know them? What about Miroku! Why haven't they mentioned him yet? Did they split up? Did something happen... is he even still alive?' On and on it went, odd thoughts tumbled around in Koharu's head as she tried to process the information she had just overheard. 

Kiba himself wasent doing much better, lost in his own thoughts and the strange sensations that he was getting from the village. With another visible shudder he snapped out of it, turned toward Koharu and was met with a very lost looking 14 year old girl, not the confidant young woman he had come to know.

Worried when she didn't react to him calling her name Kiba gently grabbed her shoulder and turned her toward him so that he was able to look into her now stormy grey eyes. His concern grew when she still didn't register his presence. Unfounded founded panic rolled over him, causing him to grip her other shoulder and give her a little shake "Koharu! Koharu, whats wrong"

That did it. She snapped out of it and surfaced to find those warm, honey brown eyes filling her vision. The turmoil running beneath their depths drew her in and, truth be told, she didn't put up much of fight...

Kiba stood there, gripping Koharu's slender shoulders and unconsciously drawing her closer and closer until holding her by her shoulders became awkward and he automatically dropped his hands down her arms to slow to a stop at her elbows.

He too was lost in her eyes. 'Beautiful' was all he could think to describe them. Eyes that were constantly changing with her mood and outside influences like how the sun fell across her face or how they seemed to darken when she let her hair loose. Eyes that, when they sparred, glittered like jewels with a intensity that he was inexplicably drawn to.

Closer and closer the two were drawn until their eyelids became heavy and their breath mingled softly in the air...

Lost in each other and the moment they both took that last step that brought them up flush against each other. "Koharu..." Kiba's breathy voice traveled to Koharu's ears and snapped her out of it. She suddenly didn't know what was happening and Kiba's once warm eyes held a promise in them that she wasent ready for.

"Ki- Kiba" Her soft voice trembled over the air and forced Kiba out of the daze he had been in.

The two were saved from a acutely awkward moment by the old woman and the trail of children coming up the hill and greeting them. They both jumped apart and looked anywhere and everywhere but each other.

Kaede took one look at their flushed faces and quickly put two and two together. She discreetly pushed Asa-taiyo toward the two, certain that the little one had not missed anything and that she would draw them out of their own problems... and if it distracted the children all the better. She did not need their constant 'help' when her own conscious was already beating her up as it was...

:.:.:.:.: OVER WITH KAGOME

Kagome suddenly learned to fly when Kujoni backhanded her. The force of the blow had her flying and twirling across the cave floor. It strangely reminded Kagome of when she was little and she used to turn in place after she saw a helicopter and decided that she too could mimic the blades and that by doing so she too could learn to fly as she lay in a crumbled heap on the dusty floor. "Of course I never actually flew back then." She groaned out loud.

She managed to stumble to her feet as the world spun crazily around her as she automatically threw up one of her shields while she tried to regain her equilibrium. Worried when nothing rammed into her shield Kagome finally looked around and saw Kouga standing over a kneeling Kujoni. She was distracted by several of the packs members attacking her from different angles.

The battle was on.

Kagome quickly located Ayame in her hidden spot nearby in the mountain and dispersed her shield before turning her full attention toward the hostile wolf demons in front of her...

* * *

Ayame had been leaning against the invisible wall of Kagome's shield when it disappeared causing her to stumble onto the other side. In a flash she was gone. She had to help Miyu find who exactly was helping out Yoshii and to keep on eye on Kouga. She would never forgive herself if Yoshii hurt him...

* * *

Miroku and Sango quickly scanned the mob to asses the situation and found it hopeless, everybody was fighting everybody. There was no way to discern who was on who's side. Determined to help Kagome they began to make their way toward where the purple encased youkai were flying from.

* * *

Miyu was sitting by calmly on a nearby boulder that was hidden in the caves shadows and scanned the elders to see who was doing what. She felt Ayame arrive at the cave and begin to scan the crowd too. It was slow work finding and taking out the leaders behind the entire thing... 'There!' 

In a swift move Miyu brought out a reed pipe and blew a dart at the offending youkai's neck. He dropped where he sat on contact.

'One down...'

* * *

"What the fuck do you think your doing! Attacking my woman like that! Ruining my wedding ceremony! The pack is in chaos" Kouga furiously screamed at the trembling woman in front of him. 

"Kouga, koishii! Please! You don't understand! You don't love her! She isn't worth your time, we- we belong together! You love me" With each statement her eyes took a crazier and crazier gleam to them that had the fine hairs standing up on Kouga's body.

'WTF?' All his usual confidence suddenly escaped him as he continued to look into her demented eyes.

Encouraged by his silence Kujoni slowly stood up and stepped closer to Kouga"Yes, don't you see! We, we belong together" She slowly trailed her hands up Kouga's arms possessively as she continued her tirade.

Suddenly Kouga snapped out of it and threw her away from his person, disgusted by the feel of her hands on him. Desperate to return things back to the way they had been just an hour ago Kouga nonchalantly stated the worst thing possible at the moment:

"You crazy bitch! The only woman who I belong with is Kagome! I love _her_! Not you" Furious Kujoni saw red as his words struck home and if possible she sunk even deeper into her dementia. Her twisted mind put two and two together and made nine. "You'll see! She doesn't love you! Not like I do"

And she was gone.

:.:.:.:.: OVER WITH INUYASHA

The speeding flash of red and white suddenly skid to a halt as Inuyasha felt a sudden pain in his chest and his golden eyes flashed blue. 'Somethings wrong!' "I'm coming Kagome"

He sped up even more as he struggled to turn the still hours away mountains into seconds.

:.:.:.:.: BACK TO KAGOME

Her shield suddenly gave like rubber as Yoshii ran at her. 'No! My shields!' With another push the wolf demon crashed through. The young miko was already tired from fighting off the pack and felt sweat trickle down her temple as she looked at the deranged woman in front of her and felt panic grip her with its strong, vice-like grip.

Then, just as suddenly as it had come, the fear was gone. Her usual sapphire eyes flashed with a golden undertone as the woman snarled at her. Her face a twisted mask in her insanity"Filthy human! Kouga is mine! MINE! And once your nothing more than bird food nothing will stand in my way" Without warning she charged.

But Kagome was gone.

Her foot glittered with a pearlesant blue light as she swung a fierce kick at her attacker that sent the demoness reeling. Enraged Kujoni turned around to counter-attack but found only air. She felt the human at her back and turned with a guttural cry as she swung her claws at the girls throat...

And found her hand encased in Kagome's glowing blue one as her other hand came out of nowhere and the heel of her palm slammed into her nose with so much force that Kujoni was sent skidding back a few feet.

'What the hell! How is this human so strong? It cannot be magic, I am immune to all strong magics!'

And just like that, her confidence regained, she charged at a calm looking Kagome... who simply side-stepped her punch and stuck her own arm out at throat level so that Kujoni ran into it and fell back clutching her throat.

* * *

Meanwhile Kouga was furiously making his way toward Kagome. Worried that that crazy female would hurt her. He personally didn't care who he had to gut to get to his woman and so he was steadily making a path toward the battling women...

* * *

'No more playing! This ends now.' 

Her own eyes blinking red Kujoni charged once more, this time not even a blur was left. She attacked recklessly with a speed the eye couldn't follow.

And was blocked by a equally fast Kagome. They both felt the strength of the others blows in the tremors that ran up their arms and legs on contact. Throughout the entire thing neither one landed a direct blow to the other.

However Kujoni had slowly been herding Kagome toward the entrance... She saw her chance when excruciating pain rammed into her side sending her into one of the cave walls. Confused she looked for the source and found Kouga checking to make sure that _she _was ok.

That was the last straw. Her already fragile mind couldn't make a excuse for what she was seeing and the last of her sanity fled. Leaving her with pupil-less, too-wide eyes. 'If I cant have him then nobody can!'

With a animal-like cry she charged toward the object of her obsession.

Kagome saw Kujoni charging at Kouga's back a split second after Ayame did. Exhausted she tried to warn him but as usual he wasent listening. Then just as the demoness made to grab him a white furred blur dragged him out of harms way.

But Kujoni was going to fast to stop and didn't really care anymore who she took down with her. So while Kouga was now safe she was now standing in Kujoni's direct path.

All she had time for was a startled cry as they both tumbled through the waterfall and inevitably down...

* * *

Kagome was suddenly snatched out of the air by a familiar presence and with a quick slash of his claws Kujoni became fish food. 

"Inuyasha..."

They both continued to fall as they slowly absorbed the fact that the other was really there, in their arms. "Kagome..." He whispered into her neck as he hugged her to him in a back breaking hug. Both remained blissfully unaware of the fact that Inuyasha could not fly and so they were _still _falling.

Kagome failed to notice everything but the hanyou in her arms. She was elated that he was ok and back with her. She felt like she was floating with her emotions running crazily around her like they were.

Suddenly Inuyasha let her go and looked at her with wonder in his golden eyes... and stepped away from her. Confused Kagome turned questioning eyes to him but before either could voice their worries Kouga was at her side and screaming at Inuyasha, who was now standing safely on the caves edge with her as the purple bubble that had floated them up there dissipated into the air.

Somehow their hands had become entangled as they had been falling and now Inuyasha brought their joined hands to her cheek as he hoarsely whispered his apologies, completely ignoring the raging Kouga. "I'm so sorry Kagome. I didn't mean to make you worry." When she didn't automatically push him away Inuyasha nervously took a step closer and bent down to whisper into her ear"I choose you. I've always chosen you... I'm sorry for not telling you sooner."

Kagome felt her eyes flutter closed as she felt his warm breath on her ear. But it was his words that made her knees weak. Well, that, and what he did next...

"...This proves it." With that said Inuyasha buried his face deeper into her neck and gently bit down on the now pulsing hickey on her neck. The sensations that rammed into her made Kagome cry out and grab onto him, she didn't notice that she had also let her head fall back and to the side to give Inuyasha better access to her neck.

He pulled her flush against him as he fought not to continue his administrations, he had to first make sure that she was ok with everything and more importantly understood the implications their actions were leading them towards.

* * *

Through all this everybody had been strangely quiet. The fighting had stopped and even Kouga had shut up, stunned at what was taking place inches in front of him.

* * *

Inuyasha remained quiet for a long time as he continued to breath in her scent for it calmed and aroused him like no other scent ever could. After a while he pulled back enough so that he could look into her eyes while he talked. 

"I... I- Remember the night I told you not to worry about things you couldn't control" He asked her nervously. a deep blush covered his face at his next words, "Remember what happened afterwords"

Confused?confident, happy, nervous, _curious _Kagome nodded. Her own blush staining her cheeks.

Here Inuyasha brought his other hand up to her neck where the hickey was and carried on"That mark is special. I, I didn't mean to give it to you so soon... I wanted to wait until after I had told you what it meant and make sure that you were ok with it..."

Kagome started to shake as she felt that his next words were important and would change everything.

"Ok with what Inuyasha?" Her breathy voice and the way her eyes shone urged him to finish.

"... With becoming my mate." He whispered.

His confidence, already paper thin, vanished as she started to cry. Big, rolling tears fell down her face and onto his hands as she continued to just stare at him. Panic settled in with a vengeance as Inuyasha saw her reaction. He felt his heart breaking watching her cry like that...

* * *

Kouga felt a surge of joy flare inside him as Kagome faltered in her answer, however her actions shattered that hope...

* * *

Ecstatic Kagome couldn't find her voice no matter how hard she tried so she settled for leaning into Inuyasha and kissing him softly. It was as if time stopped and it was just the two of them, just the feel of his soft lips against her own, just the two of them as she drowned in his ocher gaze... 

Stunned Inuyasha just stood there until his brain caught up with his body and he eagerly responded. Content to hold her and bask in her scent.

They gently broke apart with twin grins on their faces...

* * *

A/N: Ok so after such a long time to work on that, how was it? Didja like the fluff at the end :sigh: I'm sorry that it took so long to get this out. I was without Internet for a long time and then when I did get it back I started college and _that _wasent pretty. I'm sooooo sorry! I know, I know, I hate authors who don't update for ages too but this could not be helped. Sadly I have more bad news, due to my lack of time to actually sit down and write updates are going to be sparse from now on... say once a month. BUT there _will_ be updates! Once a month updates. n.n! 

Ps. Im not really liking this new format thingy. It wont let me do my little colon breaks! iv been forced to replace them with the ruler thing, so if the formats a little odd let me know and ill see if I can fix it.


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